The Garden Community for Garden Lovers
 

Hi, I live in Cheshire and have a problem with vermin in my garden. I have 10 troughs planted with daffodils and viola's, the soil on the troughs is scratched away leaving a trail of earth up to 5 ft away from the trough and tete a tete bulbs have been eaten, but the shoots are left on the ground. Many of the viola's are uprooted any left on the ground, to date i have lost about 200 bulbs. any suggestions




Answers

 

it could be one of several culprits. badgers and squirrels are the most likely as well as perhaps deer.

10 Jan, 2017

 

I have just read a solution to stop cats messing in the garden. Soak a used teabag in Olbas Oil and scatter around the plants. It might work for squirrels too. I'm going to try it. Netting wire over the top of the pots works but needs to be done before the plants get going.

10 Jan, 2017

 

I never heard of anything other than a few insects that would eat any kind of daffodil or Narcissus, though.

11 Jan, 2017

 

They do in the UK Tugb.

11 Jan, 2017

 

Strange as everything I have ever read suggests that Narcissus are toxic to most animals. When the badgers destroyed all our Tulips, they dug up but did not eat the Narcissus in the same part of the garden.

11 Jan, 2017

 

Olbas oil on a used teabag also keeps slugs and snails away too..or any other form of Menthol...

11 Jan, 2017

 

Weird, MG. Neither rabbits nor javelina (our local peccaries), which are known for eating oleanders and cacti, will touch any species of Narcissus, here. They're safe from ground squirrels and pocket gophers, too. Even the few occasions when deer come down out of the mountains, the daffs are left alone.

11 Jan, 2017

 

Very weird

11 Jan, 2017

 

I've caught grey squirrels in the act of digging up bulbs (but not eating them) and flowers in both my garden (pots) and my next door neighbour's recently, so I'm guessing that it could be a squirrel that's the culprit here. Having said that, they are toxic (as mentioned by others on this thread). Are there visible bite marks on any bulbs left or have the bulbs perhaps been pulled apart?
The only other thing I could think of is a nasty neighbour that's jealous of your garden!

11 Jan, 2017

 

moth balls or anything with a minty smell, cat urine. Eucalyptus works too.

12 Jan, 2017

 

Thanks for the tip using used tea bags with an oil or
Menthol on. I shall try & see if it keeps the cats off. Once squirrels ate all my crocuses just as they were coming up, also they always dig up bulbs even if they don't always eat them.

12 Jan, 2017

 

Moth balls are banned in this country. And in any case my aim was never that good when I tried hitting the vermin with them.

12 Jan, 2017

 

when planting up troughs I put a layer of chicken wire over the bulbs but 1" under the compost. that way if they try to dig down they don't get too far and the wire is hidden from view.

must say had no success with menthol etc oils

13 Jan, 2017

 

That's a brilliant idea Seaburngirl, must try that, not only will it stop squirrels etc., but also the rabbits in the garden. We at present have upside-down wire hanging baskets over various plants to stop the rabbits, unsightly but it protected the emerging shoots of the Dahlias last year!
Re: bulbs, mine usually get eaten by mice.

15 Jan, 2017

 

Squirrels and other vermin just don't bother my bulbs but I can't pin it down to any one factor.

15 Jan, 2017

 

Thank you for the Olbas Oil idea Scotsgran.
Best to place it under a hut, or some shelter to keep the rainwater from washing it out.

15 Jan, 2017

 

I have always used chicken wire too, the squirrels still try and get them but always fail, once the shoots are a few inches high then off comes the wire, I group all the pots together in the corner of the garden and use a few big sheets of chicken wire, it saves pratting about doing each pot, then in spring move them to there desired place.

15 Jan, 2017

How do I say thanks?

Answer question

 


Not found an answer?