With James Spann calling for winter weather in our area, we thought we'd give some tips for covering your newly planted shrubs. Around Christmas last year we had several days in the teens and single digits and we saw its effects later that spring. Those plants that were covered properly tended to do better than those exposed directly to the wind and freezing temperatures. Primary issues with this upcoming winter event (south of the Tennessee River at least) will be freezing rain and drizzle. Following are some tips and a video link that will help protect your new plants from Cold, Snow, and Ice.
Make sure your plants are well watered. Properly hydrated plants are able to resist damage due to cold better than a wilting plants. We've had plenty of rain recently, so this should not be an issue for most of us.
Cover your plants with an old bed sheet. Using a stake, create a tent effect that will help keep the plant from being crushed and trap heat as well.
In the case of freezing rain: After covering your plants with an insulating bed sheet, cover it again with plastic. This will prevent ice from forming and damaging the plant. You can use an old plastic tablecloth or trash bags. Just be sure to remove the plastic the morning after the freezing rain event is over.
Here's a link to a video showing you how to follow these steps: