Even here, climate is not perfect. It may sometimes seem to be too warm during summer. However, it might not be consistently warm and humid enough for some tropical species. Winter chill may be inadequate to vernalize some species or certain cultivars of species. However, recently frosty weather has already damaged some vegetation in some areas.
Frost limits what performs well in home gardens in two extremes. Some species prefer a bit more than they experience here. Others prefer less. For example, peony prefers more, while vanilla orchid prefers none. Peony is only marginal where weather is exceptionally frosty by local standards. Vanilla orchid can be offended by minor chill even without frost.
Climates and microclimates limit frost just as frost limits what performs in home gardens. Some coastal climates here only very rarely or perhaps never experience frosty weather. Other climates farther inland or at higher elevations experience frost almost every winter. Within such climates, eaves or canopies of big trees can provide shelter from minor frost.
Vegetation within home gardens should be appropriate to its particular climate. Varieties that are vulnerable to frosty weather are likely safe where frost never occurs. Conversely, they will obviously be susceptible to damage where frost does occur. The best means to avoid such damage is appropriate selection. Climate will not accommodate bad choices.
Gardening could be slightly less interesting without a few bad choices, though. Besides, some of such choices are justifiable with the right perspective. Canna, for example, dies back harmlessly to dormant rhizomes after frosty weather. It wastes no time regenerating as weather warms. Some tropical species may grow in pots to move to shelter from frost.
Tenting can shelter some specimens that are too big to move, or are in the ground. Outer foliage that already succumbed to frosty weather can shelter inner growth. Therefore, if it is not too unsightly, it should remain through winter. Besides, premature pruning is likely to stimulate new growth. Such growth would innately be vulnerable to subsequent frosts.
Tony Tomeo 
A timely post, given that the first frost warnings are out for our area this week. It’s also a reminder of the times my dining room has become a sort of tropical jungle, filled with plants I’ve pulled in to shield them from the cold. The biggest Hawaiian schefflera, which I hardly can move, gets an outdoor corner with freeze cloth and one of my stash of old-fashioned, heat producing lightbulbs. It can work.
I actually love the photo of the frost damage. It looks for all the world like a Georgia O’Keeffe painting.
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What is so weird this year is that frost is a bit later in some climates that expect frost than it is here. I mean, some of the banana trees and cannas are already yellowing, and a few were already frosted. (The illustration is from last year.) I am actually concerned about two dinky tissue culture banana tree plugs that may not survive until spring because they lack foliage now.
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I still have greens in my garden after some days and nights in the mid twenties. I doubt they’ll grow much now, but they will be sweeter when I pluck them. They’ll be okay as long as it doesn’t snow on them!
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Does snow freeze them or just squash them and accelerate their deterioration? Because I am unfamiliar with snow, I thought that it must be colder than exposure. Someone who is more familiar with it explained that it can actually insulate and provide a bit of shelter from harsh frost.
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I think it can insulate with larger plants if, for instance, the temperature drops well below freezing for a while. With greens or root vegetables with green tops, the snow seems to freeze it in a way that doesn’t happen if the leaves stay dry. And weirdly, they continue to grow but at a glacial pace. I picked peas once in January. Right now, I have beets, carrots, arugula, onions, kale, bok choi, and broccoli raab growing in the garden. The latter two I’ve been harvesting. I also have lettuces and spinach in a cold frame, which is tricky here, because it needs to be propped open a bit every time the temperature goes over 50 and it’s sunny…
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