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Post by wendya on Sept 16, 2015 9:41:27 GMT
Can someone please advise me, i would like to buy more spring bulbs but have a squirrel situation, are there any bulbs that they dont find nice to eat  |
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 16, 2015 12:01:22 GMT
Can someone please advise me, i would like to buy more spring bulbs but have a squirrel situation, are there any bulbs that they dont find nice to eat Good question Wendy - just about everything as far as I can see... What may be better is if you can buy these plastic bulb planters (not expensive here in Germany at least) and then get your OH to fix some wire over them and just plant them as they are...that way you can you choose what you would really like... Hope someone else has an idea - will tag a few people... Barbara, maggy, Auricula, Geranium, Ladygardener, Jilly, Missredhead, Tig, andy, owdboggy, Chuckles |
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Post by Barbara on Sept 16, 2015 14:33:58 GMT
I bought a roll of chicken wire from Wilkies a few years ago, cut it to fit pots and baskets and I use that to keep the bggrs out, I store it in the shed when it's not in use, my neighbour uses slate chippings on top of her pots and the bulbs just grow through it.
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Post by maggy on Sept 16, 2015 17:36:17 GMT
Or if in the border maybe laying and pegging down some chicken wire over the soil till the spring . Ive been wondering why Im finding bulbs on the surface ! I cant say I have noticed squirrels in my garden ! but something is pulling them out. Ive planted 10 hyacinths this afternoon I hope they stay planted.
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Post by andy on Sept 16, 2015 18:21:45 GMT
I'm an expert on this subject.
We planted 50,000 spring bulbs, a mix of crocus thomasinianus, winter aconite and snowdrops. Squirrels ate most of them. They also demolished 3,000 white and yellow crocus and 8,000 species tulips.
However, they seem to leave most daffodil varieties alone as well as larger tulips. They also seem to ignore all anemone and rununculus as well as fox tail lillies. They didn't touch my hyacinths either although they were probably a bit too fat when i planted them !!!!
They are, without doubt, the biggest pain ever
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Post by Missredhead on Sept 16, 2015 18:40:23 GMT
Whats a plastic bulb planter RF?
I have tried chicken wire but it didnt work, cant remember why though..
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Post by Geranium on Sept 17, 2015 5:34:47 GMT
No consolation, but badgers are equally destructive, and they leave Narcissus alone, too. They love tulips! I agree about the chicken wire - that does help.
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 17, 2015 5:38:00 GMT
Whats a plastic bulb planter RF? I have tried chicken wire but it didnt work, cant remember why though.. These things Missredhead. They are actually used against voles and mice but with a bit of wire on the top can also be used against squirrels... It is also a lot easier to get the bulbs out afterwards..  |
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Post by wendya on Sept 17, 2015 10:10:30 GMT
Oh they look great, as i really cannot put chicken wire over planter, as the other pests (children) will start to pull it and mess up. So how do you do it, plant them in the ground with bulbs in and chicken wire over it and bury them, do the bulbs come up through the wire? Oh andy, that is awful all those bulbs, must admit they dont like hyacinths as every one came up last year. But wanted snowdrops  but these little baskets maybe the answer to that one. Rosefriend, are they just called plastic bulb planters then, i will have a search thank you x |
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 17, 2015 10:14:54 GMT
Oh they look great, as i really cannot put chicken wire over planter, as the other pests (children) will start to pull it and mess up. So how do you do it, plant them in the ground with bulbs in and chicken wire over it and bury them, do the bulbs come up through the wire?Oh andy, that is awful all those bulbs, must admit they dont like hyacinths as every one came up last year. But wanted snowdrops but these little baskets maybe the answer to that one. Rosefriend, are they just called plastic bulb planters then, i will have a search thank you x Yes you get some wire and cut it to size and attach it to the planters and plant the whole thing. The one time that I did it I put the bulbs in, plus compost and then positioned the wire so that the bulbs were more or less under a "hole" and they all came through. Afterwards you can just pull the whole lot out and dry the bulbs if you want - or just leave them in... |
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 17, 2015 10:31:08 GMT
They are called Plastic Bulb Planting Baskets wendya,... |
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Post by Missredhead on Sept 17, 2015 18:23:41 GMT
Whats a plastic bulb planter RF? I have tried chicken wire but it didnt work, cant remember why though.. These things Missredhead. They are actually used against voles and mice but with a bit of wire on the top can also be used against squirrels... It is also a lot easier to get the bulbs out afterwards.. They look like kitchen colanders.....I plant most of my bulbs in pots so will try and see if I can get some of those...I remembered why the chicken wire didn't work....the squirrels pulled itboff the pots... |
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Post by wendya on Sept 20, 2015 11:17:09 GMT
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Post by wendya on Sept 20, 2015 11:18:08 GMT
You see my planters are not very deep, i wish i could find ones like yours Rosefriend, |
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 20, 2015 11:55:58 GMT
You see my planters are not very deep, i wish i could find ones like yours Rosefriend, I googled Plastic Bulb Planting Baskets and I got quite a lot of results wendya,. Must say that Unwins had some but the price is ridiculous... www.unwins.co.uk/bulb-planting-baskets-pid7203.htmlIt wouldn't surprise me if Wilkos didn't have them... I think the water baskets are a bit deep but still better than nothing I suppose... |
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 20, 2015 11:58:39 GMT
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Post by wendya on Sept 20, 2015 14:00:39 GMT
Thank you so much |
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Post by wendya on Sept 20, 2015 14:10:44 GMT
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 20, 2015 14:14:18 GMT
Oh lovely wendya, - I am pleased - now you need some wire and tie it on through those slits...well, that is what I did anyway...after adding the bulbs - hahahaha!! |
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Post by Jasmine on Sept 22, 2015 17:15:05 GMT
I use those aquatic baskets for my snowdrops wendya - they work really well.
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Post by wendya on Sept 27, 2015 10:52:46 GMT
Thanks Jasmine. I have bought the ones Rosefriend showed now as seem less depth for my planter, now for the bulbs, any one recommend where to purchase snowdrops and which ones are the best, so many different ones im very confused. |
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 28, 2015 10:22:00 GMT
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Post by Barbara on Sept 28, 2015 12:47:19 GMT
I always say whichever you like the look of best, after all they are for you wendya, |
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Post by Geranium on Sept 29, 2015 5:49:35 GMT
It isn't really the best time to buy snowdrops - the ones you get pre-packed don't often do well as they get dry and shrivelled in the packages. I think it's better to wait until late spring and buy them 'in the green'. There are plenty of places you can get them, online, so be patient. If you just want snowdrops that will naturalise, look for Galanthus nivalis.
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Post by wendya on Sept 29, 2015 7:55:13 GMT
I think i will buy off Sarah Raven then to make sure ok as i now have my baskets so have to buy something to plant in them lol but i guess you right some may even be from old stock. Thank you
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Post by Jasmine on Sept 29, 2015 17:39:18 GMT
Geranium, is right wendya, don't buy them now from a GC - they are most likely dried up and will come to nothing. Avon do a lot of lovely snowdrops and SR has a nice selection of the more 'ordinary' ones which tend to do very well and multiply well. I love snowdrops and have lots and lots of different sorts - the best advice is never, ever buy from Ebay as unscrupulous sellers will list expensive and special bulbs, take your money and when they come up the following spring they tend to be far from special. Galanthus nivalis, elwesii and flore pleno will all do well and won't cause any angst over expensive loses if they don't do well or they get eaten by mice, voles or squirrels.
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Post by wendya on Oct 2, 2015 11:38:27 GMT
Galanthus nivalis bought from a nursery and now planted in the buried basket, I will be watching you squirrels like an hawk thanks Jasmine for advise if they fail will buy in the green ones. |
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Post by wendya on Oct 2, 2015 12:18:26 GMT
sorry to ask again but do squirrels like Allium drumstick Bulbs as just bought 10 and wondering if these may need to be put in baskets too, i hope not as i wanted in certain place and dont think room for digging basket in the ground |
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Post by Jasmine on Oct 3, 2015 18:08:07 GMT
Nothing seems to eat alliums wendya, certainly in my garden we have rabbits, voles, dormice, mice, shrews and the odd squirrel and the only thing that suffers huge loses is tulips - I don't think anything much likes the onion taste that you would probably get from alliums  |
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Post by Jasmine on Oct 3, 2015 18:11:06 GMT
The other thing that I can't grow at all is gladiolus byzantinus - I can't get them to grow and not get eaten even if I put them on the top shelf of my grow house - they get munched by something that can scale shelves taller than me!
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but these little baskets maybe the answer to that one. 