Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to keep your bulbs where they belong—in the ground. The following techniques can help prevent squirrels and chipmunks from raiding your treasured bulbs, from practical ingredient swaps that will draw attention away from your garden to physical obstacles meant to keep animals at bay.
Cover Your Bulbs
Covering the planting area with chicken wire or hardware cloth is one of the most reliable ways to keep hungry squirrels and chipmunks away from your bulbs (hardware cloth is a metal mesh much like chicken wire except that it has a smaller grid pattern).
To safeguard your bulbs, there are two ways to utilize hardware cloth or chicken wire. A piece of the material that is big enough to cover the entire planting area can be cut. After you have planted the bulbs, set it on top of the dirt and hold it in place with stakes or by weighing it down with rocks or bricks. To conceal the wire, cover the material with a mulch made of finely chopped bark or leaves. The chicken wire or hardware cloth’s holes will allow bulb stems to grow, but the bulbs themselves will be protected from digging animals. The greatest places for using this method are wide open spaces without perennials or other plants in the way.
Alternatively, you may construct straightforward cages out of chicken wire or hardware cloth, put the bulbs inside, and then bury the whole thing in the ground. These enclosures are particularly successful in keeping out creatures that like to burrow, such voles, who also eat bulbs.
Avoid Smelly Fertilizers
The smell of several natural fertilizers, like bone meal, fish emulsion, blood meal, and others, may entice squirrels and chipmunks in addition to digging dogs, cats, and other animals. If your garden has a history of problems with digging animals, stay away from these natural fertilizers and choose instead for synthetic fertilizers that have no odor.
Plant Your Bulbs Among Other Plants
Squirrels have a tougher time finding and digging up spring bulbs when they are planted among established groundcovers or other perennials, such as pachysandra or creeping vinca. The early color your spring bulbs will add to bare spots before the summer perennials start to grow in is another benefit of this method.
Use Natural Repellents
There are a number of natural repellents available that could be quite effective at keeping pests out of your garden. You don’t have to stick to buying organic deer repellents if you want to keep rodents and squirrels away. Red pepper flakes are another successful all-natural squirrel deterrent. Spread liberally over planted bulbs to effectively deter hungry squirrels from digging.
Add Sharp Gravel
When planting bulbs in a garden bed that has already been developed, think about amending the soil with sharp gravel. Squirrels frequently flee an area where they are scavenging when they come across jagged objects. Sharp gravel is available from landscape supply yards or home improvement stores; it is frequently used to provide drainage beneath paved surfaces. Additionally, the unpleasant grit of crushed oyster shells may deter squirrels from digging.
Provide Alternate Food Sources
The idea behind placing a feeding station for squirrels close to your garden is that if the squirrels have easy access to grains and nuts, they won’t try to dig up your bulbs. This approach is debatable; some experts think that providing food only serves to increase the number of squirrels in your yard; they will still destroy your bulbs regardless. However, keep in mind that feeding squirrels and other wild creatures can be against the law in places with especially dense squirrel populations.
Clean Up Your Planting Areas
After you’ve completed planting your bulbs, clean up any plant debris, damaged bulbs you opted not to plant, or outer papery layers that may have come loose from the bulbs. These items can attract squirrels, who will start digging to find other treats you may have left out for them.
Plant Bulbs That Squirrels Don’t Prefer
Some spring-blooming bulbs, like tulips and crocuses, are particularly beloved by squirrels, yet they do not typically consume these plants. Replace your tulips and crocus with less-attractive to squirrels bulbs if you have a serious critter problem, or simply mix them in with your existing bulbs as a deterrent (a few bites of something bitter might keep the squirrels away from your yard). Daffodils, alliums (which also include onions and garlic), scilla, hyacinth, muscari (grape hyacinth), fritillaria, and snowdrops are among the bulbs that squirrels dislike.
Delay Planting Time
Early fall is usually when the squirrel and chipmunk eating frenzy peaks, and by late October, when the rodents have already stockpiled most of their winter food supply, things start to calm down. Plant your spring-blooming bulbs as late in the season as you can, when the squirrels aren’t frantically stocking up for the winter.
Are alliums immune to squirrels?
You, like me, and the majority of gardeners desire an abundance of lovely blooms in their spring garden. You’ve bought the item, gotten the flower bulbs, prepared the soil with amendments, and are now prepared to plant. But then, out of nowhere, you hear chirping coming from the neighboring maple tree—a it’s squirrel, not a bird, and definitely not a plane! You are reminded that you are now planting a buffet for little miss squirrel and her family to feast on as she enjoys her fall harvest of acorns and other natural treats.
It’s incredibly enjoyable to dig and plant bulbs in the fall, especially since you may reap the rewards of your labor in the spring. However, it might be irritating if you toil, sweat, and plant only to have the squirrels eat the fruits of your labor. To deter squirrels, employ repellents like Liquid Fence or scalding pepper spray. However, occasionally repellents by themselves are insufficient to keep these bothersome creatures at bay. To stop squirrels from digging, other planting techniques include placing hardware cloth just below the soil’s surface. However, doing so might be labor-intensive and expensive when planning your garden.
Top 5 Squirrel Resistant Bulbs
Plant bulbs that squirrels won’t generally dig up if you don’t want to dig. (I say usually because when an animal is starving, it will eat anything, even if it’s not something it usually likes.) Once planted, these 5 fall-planted bulbs should be protected from Mr. and Mrs. Squirrels’ buffet:
- King Imperial These tall spring blooming bulbs, also known by their generic name Fritillaria, have a lot going for them. First of all, gardeners adore crown imperial for its towering branches and elegant bell-shaped blossoms. Second, they come in lively, inviting hues like yellow, red, and orange. Thirdly, their smell deters moles and helps keep squirrels away, which is a bonus! The crown imperial has these three advantages; the only negative is that they can be a little picky about the soil they are planted in. For fritillaria bulbs to grow successfully, drainage is essential. They risk decaying over the winter if the soil they are planted in retains any moisture. Make careful to replenish your soil with organic matter before growing Crown Imperial. Laying the fritillaria bulbs on their side prevents the hollow center from being in a position to gather water, which is another planting tip.
- Giant White Allium With their purple, pink, or white ball-shaped blooms, they are difficult to miss in the late spring garden. Numerous varieties of allium flowers are available, and they are distinguished by their enormous globe-shaped blooms. All allium bulbs will be protected from attacks by squirrels, but the White Giant stands out! Peonies and bearded iris will blossom with White Giant Allium in the late spring. Large white blooms on up to five-foot-tall stems can reach a diameter of six. Because they don’t smell quite like an onion, allium are frequently referred to as Flowering Onions. Allium bulbs in your garden are protected from squirrel attacks since the bulbs and leaves do taste like an onion, which they generally don’t like.
- Red-eyed giant crocus On this list, a crocus? Are you really here? Aren’t crocuses the human version of M&Ms? You are accurate, squirrels do seem to fully appreciate the taste of crocus bulbs, if you asked any of the questions mentioned above. Crocus tommasinianus, popularly called Tommies, is one crocus species that squirrels do not like. The Ruby Giant Species Crocus, a cultivar of Crocus tommasinianus, is one of my favorite crocuses since I adore the color purple so much. What then prevents the squirrels from visiting the Tommies and the Ruby Giant Crocus? They discharge bitter-tasting alkaloids that squirrels find repulsive. Other crocus species, which lack this particular alkaloid, are fair prey for squirrels. Plant the Ruby Giant Species Crocus if your yard is full of squirrels and you enjoy crocuses.
- Daffodils from the Minnow Rock Garden
- The most well-known spring flowering bulb that is resistant to deer and squirrels is the daffodil. Critters do not harm ANY and ALL daffodils because they emit alkaloids that these creatures do not like. Minnow Daffodil is one of my favorite tiny daffodils for your spring garden, even though there are so many to pick from in your effort to avoid feeding the squirrels. White petals with lemon yellow cups make up the delicate Minnow Daffodils. These sweet little daffodils suit native regions and rock gardens beautifully. In addition to being squirrel-proof when planted, they also have a pleasant aroma once the blossoms open, which is an added plus! Plant your Minnow daffodils alongside other mid-spring blooming, squirrel-resistant bulbs like Camassia, Siberian Squill, and Mallee Pink Daffodils for a delicate and traditional combination.
- The first spring flower to emerge, snowdrops are frequently regarded as a delicacy in the world of flower bulbs. Galanthus sp. snowdrops are a wonderful groundcover bulb with delicate white blossoms. These early spring blossoming beauties are not liked by squirrels or deer. Make sure you buy your snowdrops in advance because they are usually only accessible in the early part of the fall season. If your garden already has typical snowdrops, consider planting Double Snowdrops, which have twice as many petals for a truly magnificent appearance!
Top 5 Deer Resistant Bulbs
It’s time to start planning for spring now that you’ve planted bulbs that squirrels don’t like. Deer can cause serious garden annoyances. Deer gorge themselves on trees, bushes, perennials, and spring bulb flowers. When the foliage and blooms first appear in the spring, they typically cause the most harm to flower bulbs. It can be a big letdown to see your fall-planted bulbs destroyed by deer as they begin to bloom if you have waited all winter to admire their beauty.
Use repellents like Liquid Fence if deer frequently frequent your backyard oasis to help stop them from nibbling the flowers and greenery. Remember that Liquid Fence will need to be applied to the area periodically to prevent blooms, particularly if it rains after the initial treatment. Using deer netting is another way to stop animals from damaging all of your hard work. Deer netting is used to cover emerging foliage. This is done in the spring when the foliage first appears. The netting climbs up with the foliage as the bulbs become bigger, shielding the flowers from being eaten.
If you are committed to have tulips in your yard and the deer are determined to try and eat your tulips, repellents and netting can be useful. Planting bulbs that the deer won’t eat in the spring will protect your blossoms from hungry animals more effectively. You would believe that the only spring flowers the deer adore are daffodils, but there are many other vibrant blooms. The following are 5 options for deer-resistant spring blooms:
- Oriental Poppies: These tough perennials bloom in mid- to late-spring with voluminous, vibrant displays. The Turkenlouis Oriental Poppy, with its vivid red to orange blossoms, is the most identifiable Oriental poppy. Harlem Oriental Poppy has deep raspberry blooms for gardeners wishing to increase the variety of colors in their poppies. Because Oriental Poppies are harmful when eaten, deer usually avoid them. White, orange, salmon, red-orange, and deep raspberry Oriental Poppies are also available. Oriental poppies do not enjoy having damp feet, so when planting them in your deer-proof garden, make sure the soil has proper drainage.
- Allium Star of Persia You can plant any of these bulbs and be assured that the deer won’t eat them because allium kinds are resistant to deer. The deer will avoid areas with either the towering blooms of the Allium giganteum or the yellow, garlic-like blooms of the Moly Allium. The Star of Persia Allium is one of my favorite allium kinds. The Star of Persia has huge, 8–12 diameter flowers! The Star of Persia Allium tends to reach a maximum height of just over 2′, which isn’t nearly as tall as other big allium varieties like Gladiator or White Giant. The flowers won’t be eaten by the deer, which is fantastic because it means that they will also be available for cut flower arrangements!
- Daffodils in mixed varieties: Deer do not enjoy daffodils, just like squirrels do not. You can be confident that no matter which variety of daffodil you plant, it won’t be attacked by deer, squirrels, bunnies, or chipmunks. For every gardener, mixed daffodil packages are the ideal option! They offer a variety of bloom forms and hues. In hardiness zones 3 through 8, daffodils are simple to grow.
- Giant Gravetye Leucojum Although we’re not sure why given they bloom in the spring, they’re also known as Summer Snowflake. Dewdrop, loddon lily, St. Agnes Flower, and snowbell are further names for leucojum. In the middle of spring, the fragrant bell-shaped blooms appear. The bell-shaped blooms of the Snowflake sit atop the grassy leaves, which are around 18 inches tall and have a grassy texture. This spring flowering, deer-resistant flower is wonderful for naturalizing and thrives in wooded settings. If you haven’t yet given Gravetye Giant Leucojum a place in your garden to call home, I strongly advise doing so.
- Spanish bells are another name for the colorful wood hyacinths that resemble bells. Since wood hyacinths are renowned for being powerful multipliers, we adore employing them in naturalized regions. These vibrant ground cover bulbs thrive in partial to full shade. Mixed Wood Hyacinths will bloom in a variety of colors, including pink, white, and blue. Deer avoid these late spring flowering blooms because all parts of this plant are poisonous if swallowed.
It’s crucial to think about soil, light, and potential pest problems while planning your fall garden. The simplest method to avoid having your hard work undone is to plant bulbs ahead of time that squirrels and deer don’t like. You can guarantee that you’ll enjoy blossoms all spring long with the help of this list of 10 deer and squirrel resistant plants!