Chicago weather: Freeze Warning in effect overnight
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Signs of spring are sprouting everywhere, but winter won't let go. The entire Chicago area is under a Freeze Warning overnight until 8 a.m. Thursday, forcing garden centers to cover plants or put them in the greenhouse.
"Tonight is the one night staff has been worried. We had people running around looking for frost blankets because they were packed away for the winter," said Heather Sprandel, Gethsemane Garden Center.
In north suburban Wilmette at Chalet Nursery, the scene is the same. Horticulture experts say you should tent tender plants using stakes and a tightly-woven cloth, draping it all the way to the ground.
"Never ever, ever use plastic. Plastic is not a good insulator and if plastic touches the plants you can get damage," said Tony Fulmer, chief horticulture officer at Chalet Nursery.
PHOTOS: Snow, ice pellets fall in late April
Along with the cold, there was snow on Wednesday, prompting some to write "no more!" across a frosty windshield.
"I think when you've lived in Chicago for a while, you expect everything," said Sam Weber.
WATCH: Garfield Park Conservatory reopens after damaged by hail
It was hail that shattered the roof of the Garfield Park Conservatory in 2011, but on Wednesday, all the showrooms reopened for the first time.
"It was like a warm embrace walking in here," said Rachel Rosado.
That warm embrace is unfolding if you take a peek at City Hall or the iconic spring scene along Michigan Avenue.
Experts say that tulips and pansies will do just fine, but one landscaper said that planting after Mother's Day is always a good rule of thumb.
