Some evergreen plants have needles as leaves, but others, such as holly, have more normal leaves. In both cases, one of the main strategies for surviving freezing temperatures is often called cold sweetening. The plant stores sugars, proteins, and other chemicals in the leaves. This lowers the freezing point of the water to help protect the leaves.

Sugar is also used to replace some of the water in the cell membranes, strengthening them and reducing ice damage.