Wet winter then a freeze - Im worried

I am wondering as this is the first winter in which i have had a 'swamp' in my yard... if with the freeze coming up - will I lose pretty much anything that is "sitting" in water?? Has anyone seen this before - usually my yard is only moist, not soppy wet when it starts freezing... I'm getting worried as I look out and see puddles of mud with a layer of ice on them. I know I will loose some things... but its looking like I might loose more than average... :-( I do have raised beds and some beds drain better than others so those things will probably do ok...

Actually, the water may save you because once it freezes whatever is encased in ice won't get below 32 degrees. I remember as a little girl living in Florida, they used to spray the orange groves with water to form an ice casing around the trees and oranges to save them.

X

Yep, the water might be your friend in this case. I guess it's all about the chemical bonds - but when water freezes, it actually produces heat. Go figure? And that's why they usually try and mist the crops, etc - it's a fine balance from what I understand. Too much water you've created an mini ice storm. To little and the ice won't protect the crop. Funny that ice itself creates heat when being formed though. These 'freak' cold snaps aren't usually much to worry about if you've mulched. The ground will stay relatively warm compared to the surrounding air. Now if we had a few days of this, or a week - then I'd also get worried. That's why Fri and Sat being in the 30's for highs is a slight concern - the ground will slowly start to loose its 'warmth.'

thank you everyone!! I wont worry quite as much!!

26 here at 10:30 AM
It got down to 18 degrees here last night.
I am thinking about going out and pouring water over my little Perennial garden right now.
Maybe a cap of ice will shield them from tonight's projected 9 degrees.
Yow!
Lorie in Columbia/Whitehall near Irmo

Yup, cold as could be here last night - all my mud puddles are iced over... nice layer of ice over my small ponds.