Question
I live in the Phoenix area, zone 9.  We moved into a new house over the summer and put in new landscaping mostly using 5 gallon containers.  The temperature is dropping down to 33 degrees and I'm not sure what to cover and if I should do anything else.  We have pygmy palms, bougainvillea, lantana, dwarf mexican palm, hibicus, cana lillies, fairy duster, yellow bell, orange jubilee, ruellia, and bottle brush.

Answer
Hi Beth, they are all cold sensitive plants, however, 33 is above freezing but barely; a freeze will do them all in and there really isn't much you could do about it if they were in the ground, for if the ground freezes then the roots are damaged. The fact that they are in containers is huge! good thinking on your part! cover the containers (root ball) with towels or blankets to at least save the plant from being killed; the crown is still going to get stung from frost though and unless you can cover the entire crown without contacting the leaves or fronds with the cover. The bottom line here Beth, is, if the containers can't be moved under protection from a taller plant then they will need to be covered without contact, to be totally safe, and the rootball will need to be insulated against a possible freeze; I know this isn't the easiest fix, but I live in southwest Florida, also a zone 9, and I am always taking measures to prevent plant loss. I also employ an irrigation system, where utilizing a well, I run water all night oscillating on the fronds and leaves to prevent frost from developing, but unless you have a well, this would not be feasible. I hope this helps you, and good luck! Nick