Winter Coat

As I was sitting outside on the porch swing one evening taking field notes, I began to get the chills. The wind was picking up and I had to run inside to get a jacket. As I thought about the changes that winter would bring to the garden I recalled a prompt in my AP Biology class my sophomore year of high school . I do not remember the exact words but the question pretty much went like this: "A farmer is aware that a storm is coming his way. He sprays down all his crops the night before the storm in order to protect them. Explain how the properties of water help protect the crops from the cold storm."
Being unexperienced in this topic I sat there and did not know what to answer. And yes, I did not get a very good score on it, but the teacher reviewed the prompt and explained. So what I remember her saying is that the water acted as an insulator for the crops. So pretty much the water on the crops froze and was cold on the outside but inside it was warm as can be, and that is why the crop survived.
I wanted to know what to expect from all these plants my grandma has scattered over her yard. How is it that these flowers, that read to be annual on their tags, come back up next spring and survive the harsh winter temperatures. I cannot understand how this can be possible, when I nearly die just getting up from my bed to the bathroom in the winter mornings.

http://blackwalnutdispatch.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/winterdiscontent-014.jpg
Web image. Found on 10/19/14

I began my research and I was not let down. On this website http://www.howplantswork.com/2010/01/07/how-plants-survive-the-cold-or-not/ I found the answer to all my questions. I found 4 methods that plants use. The first would be the accumulation of solutes. This depresses the freezing point of water and stabilizes membranes. Second is the use of proteins that may be called "anti-freeze proteins". These proteins help stop ice crystals from forming outside the cell walls. Third is synthesizing dehydrins, which pretty much keeps water molecules inside the cells to keep "watering" the plant. And finally, fourth, is to alter lipid compositions in order to help the plant keep is fluidity in cold temperatures.
So pretty much these outstanding mechanisms of life adjust themselves to live. If we could do that I would probably sleep outside on a hammock all year long. I know that all these actions it took to keep the plants alive sounded all geeky and hard to understand, but well I understood it so hopefully you did too.
So now I look at all these plants in even more amazement, and I can say, you will survive.