Does covering up your outdoor potted plants with plastic tarp prevent them from dying in a hard freeze?

I have hibiscus and begonias and it is getting down into the teens at night. Will they survive with plastic tarp over them?
Does covering up your outdoor potted plants with plastic tarp prevent them from dying in a hard freeze?
They likely will not survive if the temperature gets to the teens unless they are in a "microclimate" which is protected from the low temperature and allows the heat left in the ground to stay trapped.



A tarp is better than nothing. If there is any way to bring the plant into a more sheltered area that would be best, otherwise covering it with both a blanket, followed by a tarp would be better. The blanket would help keep in the heat and the tarp would keep help keep the wind from getting in.
Reply:I don"t know where you live, but begonias get dug up and dried or protected in a frost free place in the winter where I live. Some hibiscus are hardy (and withstand real winters) and some can be a houseplant in the winter. If the pots are covered they will not get water, so give them a little bit. The best thing would be to protect both of them from frost, they may survive. Another tip for overwintering things that are hardy is to have plenty of soil around the roots. They have more insulation.
Reply:they will survive a hard freeze without any cover. they just grow back out from the roots every year. plastic is not good to cover with use cardboard if you want to prevent freezing.
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Reply:if you live in a semitropical climate like south georgia and florida like id o, the best thing is to use plain bed sheets and wrap the plants up. as long as your freezes are just for a nigh or two. the ground warmth will keep them living fior such short freezes. we will be having these in Savannah tommorrow, so i saw people out today wrapping their plants with sheets.
Reply:Begonias will not survive a severe freeze, below 20 degrees. You could mulch heavily and might save the roots. If your hibiscus is a tropical variety, bring it inside, or it will be dead.
Reply:it will help but if they are potted it would be better to bring them in to an enclosed area. another way to protect them is to apply a fine mist of water and allow it to freeze on the plant like they do to the orange groves in Florida when the temperature goes down.