Urgent-question about frost in plants outside

I have bought a lot of plants- I have had them outside on cooler night but tonight will be down to 20's and wondered if they would freeze and die if not protected.. I have been hardening them off outside but tonight will be bad here in vermont.

help- tell me if I need to move them or if they should be o.k. as they have been out there.

What sort of plants are you talking about? Just irises?

Iris's and daylilies...

thanks

Karen

I don't live in Vermont, but I'd certainly mulch if you have it. I don't know if this will work where you are, but in the orange orchards they turn the sprinklers on when it freezes. It may soak the plants but it protects them from freezing somehow. Your Iris will probably be fine. And your Daylilies too, but you may miss bloom this season.

If they're potted, I'd bring them inside until temps warm back up above freezing.

I posted to your message in the daylily forum.

Watering the plants can protect them when the water droplet freezes. The energy expenditure required to freeze moisture will result in an energy (heat) release which can keep the plants above freezing. This only works with mild frost for a very short period of time. If you are going to dip into the 20' then I doubt it will yield enough protection. I would move the plants indoors if they have not grown to maturity outdoors naturally.

kd - here you are again teaching all of us. God bless you for sharing.

Did your plants make it through the night?

yes they re o.k. not a hard hard frost as they said- I moved all the buckets into the garage to be safe- thanks for asking:)

whew!!!

karen

Thank goodness you had them in buckets. I thought that they were already in the ground. Shows how zone 9 folk think. I'm glad that they were all safe - and your other plants too. Without the frost you'll have a lot of flowers. Enjoy!