Squirrel Appreciation Day – January 21
A Guerrilla Gardener’s perspective on Squirrel Appreciation Day
It’s really hard for this guerrilla gardener to get on board with Squirrel Appreciation Day. All the squirrels seem to do is eat, dig up, move, rearrange, and damage bulbs for no apparent reason. Garden centers and catalogues seduce gardeners with pictures of spring bulbs to help them envision a beautiful garden. They seldom mention the squirrel factor and I think they should have pictures of what that looks like as well.
I am CONVINCED that my spring garden could be a contender with the gardens that grace the covers of gardening magazines. That is if it wasn’t for the renegade squirrels at Some-Strata-Property. These delinquent little critters are guilty of seeking out the most expensive bulbs in my garden, digging them up, then taking a bite from each one before carelessly tossing them aside. Continuously planting bulbs for the All-U-Can-Eat-Squirrel-Buffet is turning out to be a frustrating and expensive gardening adventure.
As far as the squirrels are concerned my tulips and crocus are an especially tasty and delicious treat. The good news is that Snowdrops and the Asiatic lilies do not appear to be squirrel favorites and when it comes to the All-U-Can-Eat-Squirrel-Buffet the daffodils remain untouched. Luckily there are about 25,000 varieties of daffodils available and now they come in a variety of colors besides yellow. Planting more daffodils will definitely help to increase the squirrel appreciation factor.
Also, when it comes to squirrels it’s very important to clean up completely after planting. Don’t ever leave the evidence of dried bulb wrappers on the surface of the soil. It is like hiding a box of really good chocolates and then leaving a bunch of empty wrappers lying around. Someone is going to go looking for your hiding place, and when they find it they are going to eat them all. Squirrels simply cannot resist temptation!
The Vancouver Sun once mentioned that some top gardening experts on the BBC radio suggested stringing used diapers in trees or using the tail from a road kill squirrel to train cats as squirrel predators. Yeah, that is so NOT going to happen in my garden! I don’t have a cat but if I did I would not want to receive any dead squirrel gifts anyways. As for hanging crappy diapers all around my garden, this would not in anyway help to increase my appreciation of squirrels.
So here are some more practical (and less smelly) ideas on how to stop the thieving and plundering of your bulbs not only by squirrels but mice, raccoons, rabbits, chipmunks, skunks, and deer as well:
Enclose Bulbs in a Wire Cages
Make cages out of chicken wire to protect the bulbs from all sides (making sure the cages are big enough to allow for root and plant growth). Dig a hole, place 3-7 bulbs in the center of each cage, wire cage shut and then surround with dirt. (Note-Master Gardeners will immediately say the word soil when you say dirt so be sure to say it at least 3 times while in their presence). If you aren’t crafty and don’t mind spending a little money you can also buy pre-made “bulb baskets” at your local garden center.
Plant Bulbs in Containers
Pot up your bulbs and place a layer of chicken wire a couple of inches under the soil. For added protection during the winter place pots in the garage or shed. Out of sight, out of mind. Just be aware that squirrels are well known for breaking and entering.
Squirrel Repellants
Old school gardeners used to dip bulbs in a chemical known as Ro-pel to deter squirrels. Nowadays most gardeners are looking for a more natural approach. This could include sprinkling blood meal around the bulbs (which unfortunately can attract dogs and cats) or sprinkling some cayenne powder or crushed hot pepper flakes in and around the soil. Repeated applications of cayenne or hot peppers will be needed after every rainfall. Spreading human hair around the base of the plants was also suggested to me but who wants a hairy garden!
However, with the popularity of geekiness and computers at an all-time high it appears that squirrel repellents have now gone high tech.
Electronic Ultrasonic Pest Repellers ($40-$500) use harmless ultrasonic sound waves to annoy and repel pests. No toxic chemicals, no poisons, no traps, and best of all it is extremely humane. No dead bodies to deal with. It seems too good to be true. Does anyone have any experience using Electronic Ultrasonic Pest Repellers? If so feel free to comment.
The Best Way to Prevent Squirrel Damage
Planting bulbs that squirrels find unappetizing is a great strategy. Alliums, Fritillarias and Hyacinths are just a few of the Pest-Resistant Bulb options available. Add in some Daffodils and some Lily of the Valley and it could potentially increase the squirrel appreciation factor by at least 50%.
And as a last resort: If you can’t appreciate squirrels, then feed them!
Preferably in your neighbors’ yard.
I suggest buying a bird feeder for your neighbor.
It will be entertaining and hopefully keep the squirrels preoccupied and away from your bulbs.