Garden Centre

Friday, April 27, 2007

Problems with Bulbs

Some bulbs take over the world – as is shown in this photograph. These woods are noted for their bluebells, but even so, if this happened to your garden you’d probably be a bit peeved. The only thing that stops it happening – if you have bluebells – is the fact that their rampant spread does require clear soil (so they romp away under trees, for example) and dappled shade (which the trees are good at providing too) and most gardens don’t offer those conditions. You may find you have blue spikes emerging in your lawn or round your sundial, and the only thing to do is life the bulblets and hope the parent plant gets discouraged.

Digging up bulbs? This will help ...

On the other hand, some bulbs never seem to get going. In my garden, there is ‘The Mysterious Case of the Crocus that didn’t Flower’ – which isn’t actually that mysterious at all. Like many gardeners who try to encourage wildlife, I wrestle with the issue that the wildlife I want and the wildlife I get are two different things! What I get is grey squirrels, and what grey squirrels really enjoy, come winter, is digging up my precious crocus bulbs, all stuffed with starch and sugars to serve their flowering season, and having a good munch. The past seven years of Crocus Patrol have revealed some interesting results:

1. white, cream and lilac bulbs taste best to squirrels. Yellow and dark purple bulbs are usually left in the ground.


2. a squirrel can dig up a crocus bulb and run off with it in the time it takes me to open the back door and charge across the lawn.


3. squirrels like to sit on the fence and eat crocus bulbs, just to annoy the dogs who bark like frenzied lunatics and hurl themselves at the fence until (a) they get concussion, (b) the neighbours come out and complain, (c) I drag the dogs inside by their collars


4. a good shot with a garden hose can hit a squirrel amidships from about twenty feet away


5. if you manage to squirt the squirrels often enough, they just come back and dig up the bulbs at night

Labels: bulbs, garden tips, garden-tools

The All Seasons Gardener at 12:14 AM

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