Had our first freeze today, the low this morning was 32.1 degrees! There was a light frost covering the backyard, which means that the grasses and herbaceous plants will begin to die back, but have you ever wondered why some plants do not freeze?
Well, there are two main reasons why some plants stay green all winter and never freeze. Some plants such as Pine trees do not have a lot of water, so they cannot freeze. Other plants can make their own “anti-freeze” protein which protects their cell walls and plant tissue from being crushed by ice crystals.Other perennial plants (plants that live for 2 years or more) go dormant during the winter. Herbaceous plants completely die back above ground, leaving only roots below ground. Woody plants drop their leaves. While dormant, they are not moving water and nutrients through their system, so when it freezes, they are protected.
To learn more about winter plant adaptations see this link.
