London Cottage Garden

Blogging about cottage garden style in a town garden

  • Subscribe to London Cottage Garden

    • Home
    • About
    • Contact

    Wildlife gardening – Ha!


    February 25th, 2020 - Spring bulbs, Spring gardening, Wildlife gardening

    Share this post:

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Email
    Wildlife gardening

    Tulips destroyed in 2 minutes by squirrels

     Wildlife gardening

    that is,  gardening with wildlife all around,  has its annoyances.  I watched in dismay as 2 squirrels dug out and ate the tulip shoots and bulbs in this pot within a matter of minutes this morning. I had put chicken wire on top when I planted them but took it off yesterday as the shoots were 6” tall.

    So this is one of the realities of wildlife gardening, living with the joys of living creatures in the garden but trying to minimise the damage they can do. The pots with wire still on them are safe for the time being but when do I take it off?

    Wildlife gardening in pots

    Chicken wire protects the bulbs from November to February but then…..

    My tulip pots have looked fabulous in previous years, like this…

    Wildlife gardening

    My pots of tulips were magnificent a few years ago but now squirrels destroy them just for fun, it seems.

    You can see more wonderful tulips in my blog from May 2018 when I had more success.

    I’m really not sure if I can create that again – I’m a bit at a loss. It’s disappointing but I’m not convinced I can do much to stop them. Does this mean I won’t have tulips any more?????

    On the plus side, they haven’t eaten the daffodils in pots so I’ll be thankful for that. Any suggestions will be gratefully received.

    On reflection I’ve decided to put back the wire protection I had on the pots all winter even though the squirrels might still eat the flowers when they come up but it looks like this 

    Pots in cottage garden

    A wire cloche from Crocus.

    You can buy these cloches in 2 sizes from Crocus. 

    Share this post:

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Email

    2 comments on "Wildlife gardening – Ha!"

    1. Beverly says:
      25th February 2020 at 2:54 pm

      Oh no! Could you cut the wire to fit just inside the pot and just leave it there.?

      Reply
      1. Julie Quinn says:
        25th February 2020 at 3:41 pm

        Thanks, that is one thing I could try next year and hope they don’t just eat the new shoots as they come up. I’ve even seen them eat the flowers! Very weird. Thanks for your suggestion.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    − 3 = 1

    London Cottage Garden
  • Subscribe to London Cottage Garden


  • Popular Posts

    How to introduce a new colour in a cottage garden

    A new colour in early Spring Here's a way to introduce a new colour in a cottage garden in early Spring. Plants can't always provide…


    How to use colour in the cottage garden style

    How to have colour in the cottage garden style town garden without it being too much work for one person to manage.  Well I would…


    Daffodils in a small garden – tips on how to grow them.

    If you have a small garden like a town garden and want to grow daffodils, here are my tips on how best to do it,…


    front gardens cottage gardening town garden

    Sixty seven on Saturday February 2nd 2019

    It's my 67th birthday today and here is a very short story of my gardening life through six decades. [caption id="attachment_1756" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Mum and…


    Tulips, daffodils and forget-me-nots

    “Everybody loves the sound of a train in the distance……

    everybody thinks it's true" - Paul Simon 2007 We gardeners think about and work towards the future - we are assuming a future. We are…




    londoncottagegarden

    If you like a white daffodil here’s ‘Thalia’ If you like a white daffodil here’s ‘Thalia’, fragrant, pure white. #daffodils #londoncottagegarden #cottagegardenflowers #springbulbs
    Supermarket alstroemerias picking up colours in a Supermarket alstroemerias picking up colours in a very old vintage vase #londoncottagegarden #vintage #alstromerias #cottagegardenflowers
    Different colour combinations to enhance the acer Different colour combinations to enhance the acer #londoncottagegarden #cottagegarden #colourinthegarden #gardenfurniture
    Daffodils from the garden in a vintage vase #londo Daffodils from the garden in a vintage vase #londoncottagegarden #vintage #daffodils #cottagegardenplants #cottagegardenflowers
    Crown Derby cup 1910 for coffee in the garden #cro Crown Derby cup 1910 for coffee in the garden #crownderby #vintage #antique #coffeeinthegarden #springsunshine
    Supermarket daffs in a vintage vase #londoncottage Supermarket daffs in a vintage vase #londoncottagegarden #vintage #daffodils #springflowers
    Vase of Sainsbury’s daffodils today #vintagevase Vase of Sainsbury’s daffodils today #vintagevase #daffodils #narcissi #londoncottagegarden
    Today’s vase. I think the daff is”Sweetness” Today’s vase. I think the daff is”Sweetness”. Not certain #londoncottagegarden #springbulbs #narcissi #vintagevase #daffodils
    A few picked from the garden #londoncottagegarden A few picked from the garden #londoncottagegarden #springbulbs #daffodils #narcissi
    New on my blog - how to introduce a new colour in New on my blog - how to introduce a new colour in your garden
    Ultimate bran tub excitement from @bluebellcottage Ultimate bran tub excitement from @bluebellcottagegardens @sue.beesley with plants wrapped in greaseproof paper instead of pots.  Wonderful. #londoncottagegarden #cottagegardenplants #perennials
    Front garden colours in spring - yellow, purple, b Front garden colours in spring - yellow, purple, blue, green @londoncottagegarden #colourinthegarden #narcissi #containergardening
    Sun trap chair at my front door where I perch prec Sun trap chair at my front door where I perch precariously in the sunshine #londoncottagegarden #gardenfurniture #gardenchair #colourinthegarden
    Bit over optimistic this morning as it turns out # Bit over optimistic this morning as it turns out #londoncottagegarden #spring #sunshine #blueskies
    Colourful items can save a garden on a dull rainy Colourful items can save a garden on a dull rainy day #londoncottagegarden #gardenfurniture #fermob #yellow
    Just a few feet away Just a few feet away
    Handy tip. Bright sticky tape on handles of hand Handy tip.  Bright sticky tape on handles of hand tools to easily find them #londoncottagegarden
    Beautiful lichen on a twig. 2nd pic for scale. Bit Beautiful lichen on a twig. 2nd pic for scale. Bit geeky I know. #londoncottagegarden #lichen
    Mug of morning coffee today - a present from my lo Mug of morning coffee today - a present from my lovely friend Jazzy #morningcoffee #sittinginthegarden #londoncottagegarden
    This bleeding heart/dicentra is showing me it isn’t dead! I had no way of telling since it went underground last summer. #cottagegardenplants #containergardening #gardenpots #londoncottagegarden
    Load More… Follow on Instagram

    UK Gardening Blogs

    © 2021 London Cottage Garden - The London Cottage Garden Blog

    Website Design www.beamtwenty3.co.uk

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.