If you are certain they are flower buds, then I would consider covering the plant with some lightweight material like Remay, aka harvest cloth. FWIW, I have a number of clematis that produce early flower buds and bloom without concern for late frosts or freezes but they are not type 2's. I am always in a bit of awe at folks who report their type 2 clematis blooming or getting ready to bloom at this time of year........they will not be doing anything here until well into May, perhaps even June depending on type and siting.

I did the scratch test on several of my hydrangeas and it looks like some of the branches I was worried about are still alive, maybe just slow to leaf out. Others are dead per the scratch test, but I seem to have some life wood on almost all of my hydrangeas ('Buttons N Bows' and a tiny 'Romance' seem to have died to the ground but are putting out new growth). We got a decent amount of rain over the winter, but I did supplement that with water when we went without rain for a while, so I think I'm okay in that department. After the scratch test, I'm feeling a bit more positive about things, so I just need to be patient now I think (not my strong suit!). Thanks for the advice! I'm hoping I'll have some pretty pics to post in a few months.

Does that stuff use real animal urine or synthetic stuff? "Predator urine" is usually from fur factory farms, where animals are imprisoned for life in tiny cages, and are only let out when it's time to kill them. People who kill animals for their pelts are most interested in how to preserve the fur, leading to methods such as anal electrocution (ouch). Not a business I recommend supporting. Anecdotes on the effectiveness of bottled urine from tortured animals, human urine from volunteers, human hair, etc vary a lot. If the animals in your area are a problem, a permanent solution is a fence for land animals, but I don't know the size of your bank. There are all sorts of repellents you can use for various species, many very cheap and "broad spectrum." As far as I know, most scent repellents don't work on birds. Visual and auditory repellents are generally better. Around here, I don't do anything about the birds. They don't eat enough seed to make it a problem. Plenty are left in the ground after they're done. I plan on moving and haven't bothered with a fence here. Our yard gets some visitors but the cats and escaped neighbors' dogs do far more damage than the wildlife. Still, in total, only a small fraction of a percent of my plants have been damaged by birds and mammals. Sources like the HSUS have advice for dealing with wildlife causing problems for humans, including specific types of repellents. Examples: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/raccoons/tips/solving_problems_raccoon.html http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/crows/tips/solving_problems_crows.html http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/opossums/tips/solving_problems_opossums_2.html I'll include a link to their page "Top Ten Problems with Our Wild Neighbors" which I found helpful. Here is a link that might be useful: Top Ten Problems with Our Wild Neighbors

Thanks Sey It turned out that the temp dropped to around 33-34 (from a weather station) and the only damage I noticed was the cherry tomato plant which was the tallest showed signs of damage but not ruined as you can see in the top photo. The top stuck out above my 6ft fence line, but lower all seemed to be fine along with the tomatoes even at the top. The rest of the plants were green but seemed to droop a little bit but no sign of damage other then the leaves falling off from prior. The next ten days I hope will be ok, and they say the low will be around 40 but I know the time is coming soon. The bottom photo is my latest harvest ready to eat just about (I kind of like the contrast with the tomatoes with the fall decorations lol), and got 2 more bowls like that but they just started to turn color. Anyway thanks again both of you and I will update some photos soon. - Mr Beno