For a few years my bulbs have suffered attack from both rabbits and squirrels.
For a few years my bulbs have suffered attack from both rabbits and squirrels. I've seen rabbits sitting on pots, their rear ends squashing the winter-flowering pansies, their front ends crushing emerging bulb shoots, long before they have chance to flower.
But last spring, thanks to the vigilance of our newly-acquired cat, the tulip bulbs did actually flower. The display was gorgeous. Old habits die hard, though, and this year I placed plastic trays over two low-level planters that were planted with tulip bulbs. Better to err on the side of caution.
Before the recent snow, when the weather was milder, I removed the trays from the pots. I did this to prevent emerging growth being squashed, and to stop shoots becoming etiolated as a result of low light levels. This optimism on my part was rewarded with devastation. Squirrels and rabbits weren't the culprits this time, but mice. They blitzed a few shoots, left a few 'deposits' and departed.
The mice apparently escaped the attentions of both of the cats (we now have a second, from the local rescue centre). Neither cat has been out much recently, which might account for their apparent indolence. Perhaps they need retraining. It seems odd that they're both fascinated by the radio-controlled rat that arrived at Christmas, yet seem indifferent to real rodents.
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