Gardener Shares Genius Hack That Prevents Squirrels From Digging Up And Stealing Your Spring Bulbs

A gardener shares a clever hack to keep squirrels from digging up your spring bulbs.

October and November are officially spring bulb planting months.

Squirrels love digging up spring bulbs.

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Squirrels love digging up spring bulbs.Credit: Getty
Make sure your spring bulb display isn't damaged by Chris's tips.

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Make sure your spring bulb display isn’t damaged by Chris’s tips.
Chris spoke exclusively and shared his key points.

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Chris spoke exclusively and shared his key points.Credit: The Lost Gardens of Heligan

And the gardener and the squirrel have been at odds for as long as anyone can remember.

These clever rodents can defeat any fence, barrier or barrier designed to keep them out of gardens and flower beds.

And if you’re not careful, your hard work and effort will be for naught if a squirrel or two gets its paws on your spring bulbs.

Fabulous spoke exclusively to Chris, curator of Heligan’s Ornamental Gardens at The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall.

He explains why squirrels like to dig up bulbs, which ones to avoid, and how to stop them if you want to grow tulips.

Why do squirrels eat spring bulbs?

Chris said: “The big problem people have with planting spring bulbs is squirrels – especially tulips.

“Bulb planting is in the fall and is consistent with squirrels’ habit of harvesting food for the winter; many of their natural food sources are rich in protein, and bulbs are one of them, so [are] Nuts and seeds.

“Those natural food sources are diminishing, [and] A lot of things are falling to the ground, so squirrels are naturally out and about looking for food – bulbs are one of those things, unfortunately.”

How to stop squirrels from stealing bulbs

“A really good method we use to keep squirrels from stealing bulbs in our pots is to use chicken wire,” he explained.

You can buy chicken wire from a variety of places – including Amazon, B&Q and Tesco.

“Once you’ve planted your bulbs, place your wire over the pot and wrap it round, so it’s nice and secure, and the wire can’t go through to dig them up.

“Once they [spring bulbs] Shot, the squirrels don’t bother them and you can remove the wire and let the bulb come up.

Chris shows how to use chicken wire to cover your plant pot.

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Chris demonstrates how to use chicken wire to cover his plant pot.Credit: The Lost Gardens of Heligan
Gardener shares ‘genius’ bulb planting hack that will give you months of spring flowers and takes seconds

“If you’re on a bare bed or allotment bed you can use this method on bare ground, and a good aesthetic choice would be to mulch the top, just some leaf mold or composted bark, to hide the netting. .

“Also, if you are planting in mixed beds, plant. [spring] Bulbs in and between other plants, it makes them harder for squirrels to find – it’s more work, so they’re less likely to be disturbed and they’ll go and find an easier food source.”

What spring bulbs don’t squirrels like to eat?

If you’re tired of squirrels digging up and snacking on your delicate tulip and crocus bulbs, give them another way to grow bulbs they don’t like.

They’ll easily find a tasty meal in another garden, so planting bulbous plants squirrels don’t like is the easiest way to grow perennial flowers without worrying about underground invaders.

Chris said: “Some types of spring bulbs won’t go for squirrels – daffodils are good, [and] Hyacinths they don’t go for.

“Fritillarias, alliums and anything in the onion family I guess because they smell so bad, and snowdrops – they don’t even take snowdrops!”

Top 5 Spring Bulbs to Plant Now

Chris

Chris, curator of the ornamental gardens at The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall, reveals his favorite plants.

Daffodils – There are huge varieties to choose from and are usually perennials so they are really good for landscaping.

Snow drops – Every garden should have a snowdrop!

Camassias, Fritillarias and alliums – and it will see you from early spring to early summer.

Top tip! When planting, a general rule of thumb is two to three times the depth of the bulb. If planting in pots, you are limited by pot size. Typically, in a pot, this is twice the depth of the bulb. There are many planting tools with depth gauges. So it’s really easy to measure your bulbs and plant them appropriately according to that depth.

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