Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: You dig in bulbs, squirrels dig them out!
Fall bulb planting is upon us, the garden centers are filled up with some amazing options. And many questions arise about keeping squirrels from digging them right back up and eating them!
People have discussed ideas about what to do for as long as we’ve planted bulbs. Some say the most effective method is to sink chicken wire into the ground around your bulb bed and then cover the area with more chicken wire and mulch it.
Yeah, that’s not happening for me!
Other gardeners say that just laying the chicken wire on top along with mulching the area works for them. Some folks say their dog keeps the squirrels away. They are the most persistent little creatures on earth! AND, they’ll even eat bulbs that they’re NOT supposed to like, such as grape hyacinth and daffodils.
However, they’re not big on onions, so Alliums are a good choice.
Other not-so-tasty options include Pinkbells, Squill and Summer Snowflake.
There’s a product called Squirrel Repellent that is a humane way to keep squirrels away and, according to a birding expert, keeps the squirrels AWAY!
There’s also a Plantskydd product for squirrels. I’ve had a lot of luck with plantskydd for rabbits. I like it too because it comes in a shaker bag of granules, lasts for 3 months and is completely safe for pets, people and plants.
This is Karen! She is an expert on bulbs…