Here's a heads up for those of you who actually like the plants in your lawn and garden landscape. It is going to be cold enough in South  Louisiana later this weekend to actually damage or kill some of your plants. Especially those plants that are of tropical nature.

The actual forecast calls for the next several days across Acadiana to be quite springlike. Temperatures in the afternoon today and Wednesday should be in the middle 70s. The outlook for Thursday is for a high temperature to reach the lower 70s before the latest weather system moves in with a good chance of showers by Thursday afternoon.

Thursday night is when things start to get cold but we really won't have a plant-killing cold until later in the weekend. Temperatures for Friday and Saturday morning will be just above the freezing mark. Granted, that could be cold enough to harm some species of tropical plants. So, do take steps to take care of them, but the really cold temperatures won't arrive until early Monday.

The current forecast low temperature for Monday morning according to Daniel Phillips at KATC Television is 25 degrees. That will be cold enough to damage if not destroy most of the plants that are popular in South Louisiana landscapes.

If you want to save or at least attempt to save some of your plants you might pull out an old bed sheet or some clear plastic to cover the foliage on the nights when the temperatures will be their coldest. Just try to keep the plastic from actually touching the foliage of the plants.

You should also make sure that your plants are well watered ahead of the cold snap. This practice works for most plants with the exception of succulents. You can also purchase an anti-transpirant spray for your home and garden store. This spray seals in moisture for the plant with an invisible film.

If you can't bring plants inside but can at least cluster them close together, preferably near your house, this could help ward off some of the damaging effects of the cold as well.

Then again, there is always the "let's just start over again in two weeks when it's springtime" method too. At our house, we cover the palm trees and some of the smaller tropicals in large pots. We leave the fate of the rest of our plants up to genetics and luck.

Oh, and if you have outside pets, don't forget about them. Unless they are like these dogs and just refuse to listen.

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