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King's Garden hustles to protect inventory before tonight's cold snap

Posted at 6:08 PM, May 08, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-08 18:34:59-04

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lexington's all-time coldest May temperature could be broken this evening as remarkably cold air comes rushing into our area.

The unusually cold weather is threatening the survival of plants and flowers. For a business like King's Gardens Garden Center, the repercussions could be drastic.

"We're trying to do anything we can because we've got a million dollars of inventory on the ground right now," manager Wes King said.

About a dozen employees spent the day Friday moving plants and flowers into heated greenhouses. Plants that can't fit inside will have "breathable fabric" placed on top of them. During his interview with LEX 18, King also offered advice for home gardeners.

"If you have perennials, you want to just turn pots upside down that will help protect them that way,"King said.

Above all, he said that gardeners should bring any plants inside that they can. For those that cannot be brought inside, he said they should be covered.

The bad news: King said herbs, veggies, tropicals and annuals will likely not survive the night outside.