Out on a walk with friends yesterday, I spotted this damaged bougainvillea. This is what happens to tropical plants here in Los Angeles when we get one of our, unfrequent, dips below freezing. This bougainvillea will recover, as it only damaged part of the plant, but you can see how bougainvillea is totally unprepared to deal with freezing temperatures.

While we love our tropical plants here in Los Angeles, it is important to remember that we can have these cold snaps at this time of year and need to protect tender tropicals whenever it gets too cold.

Click for larger image on Flickr

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