Triangle Expecting Frost Over Weekend; Don't Let Your Plants Get Cold Shoulder

Cold weather has taken its time getting to the Triangle this season. The leaves have been slow to change and the area has enjoyed many warmer than average days. All of that is about to change this weekend as the thermometer dips to freezing.

Gil Decker, chief horticulturist for Capitol Broadcasting Co., said flowers around the area will take a hit.

"You'll start to see tip damage. The stems will collapse," he said. "You want to go ahead and pull them up and replace them with winter color. There are a lot of nice varieties of rhubarb that you can plant now that do wonderful throughout the year."

Once leaves start to fall in yards, most people dread raking them, but Decker said it is best to not put off the task too long.

"You don't want to leave them on your lawn. Any type of turf grass will get smothered by them," Decker said. "Whether it's fescue or centipede grass, you want to get the leaves up off of it. You can let them lay for a week or so, but not long-term."

Meteorologists say high pressure from Canada will pay the Triangle a visit over the weekend, bringing much cooler than average weather.