MIAMI — With a cold snap hitting South Florida, this plant nursery owner is doing everything he can to protect his tropical plants.

“Most of the plant material you see here is stuff you’d only find in the jungle,” said Nacho Duran, owner of Unique Plant Nursery.

Duran has grown plants his entire life and says it’s his passion.

“I love plants,” he said. “That’s the reason I got into this. They’re like kids -- when you watch them grow, you get attached to them.”

At his nursery near Homestead, Duran grows about 100,000 plants across his 15-acre farm.

He has covered many plants with moving blankets for insulation, helping retain heat and protect them from the wind.

Duran also draped black tarps around his shade house to block strong winds.

He knows he will lose some plants during the cold snap but hopes to save as many as possible.

During a freeze a few years ago, Duran lost more than a quarter of his crops, devastating his business.

“The profit margin on plants is not very high,” he said. “If you lose 25% to 35%, you’re losing your profit for the year.”

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