So for the squirrel digging up bulb problem, I've used a sometimes controversial mix of black pepper and red pepper flakes. I planted over 300 bulbs this fall and haven't gotten a single bulb dug up, including the crocus. I also have clay and it helps to pack the soil really well so that it doesn't look so 'disturbed' to the squirrel.
As for those dastardly rabbits, see the below thread:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1329284/
Too early to tell if it worked yet but I planted daffodils next to every bulb I planted this year. It also helps that about 1/2 the bulbs I planted were daffs too. Anyway, hope this helps!
Yardening (#4)- in 2014
I've used black pepper and red pepper, but never together. I might try it! The daffodils definitely were not a deterrent for me, since the crocus planted one inch above them were dug up.
I'm going to try some sort of a chicken wire barrier next year, even if it's just for this corner!
I enjoyed reading through this thread; there's lots of useful information here!
CatMint, weedeaters do a pretty good job of cutting small areas of lawn, as I found out once when I had no mower and the grass was really tall. I still use it to cut new grass so the mower wheels don't flatten it, and also to cut those annoying little patches of grass that grow much faster than the rest of the lawn. Basically, it is such a pain to get my mower out of the shed that I'll reach for my weedeater whenever I can "mow" with it instead.
I now know why my B&D weedeater batteries last way less than 45 minutes per battery charge (I'm not sure I even get 10 minutes) - I always leave a battery in the charger. Oops!
Sequoia, SS, or anyone else who knows.. can daff's be planted shallower, or are they best at the depth at which you have them? (I ask because one day, I really do plan to try them).
The hair trick has make a HUGE difference in keeping them from digging and burying in my containers out back. I also stuck hair around all my Iris bulbs out front on ONE side... no digging at all. The other side, however, is "The Big Bed", and to be honest, I was lazy and did not put hair around in there... and there's been some digging in that bed.
That's interesting about the hair. I wonder what it is about hair that squirrels don't like? Sounds like a time when it pays to have long tresses instead of short ones! :-)
All I know about planting narcissus bulbs is that if you plant them too shallow, they start to grow on you during warm spells in the winter, and then you end up with a ruined bulb when it freezes again! :-( Not that I would--ahem--have any personal experience with that! 8-/
LOL!!! -Ahem- Of course you wouldn't!! You just pay attention to stuff that you learn! =)
It also helps to stay on friendly terms with your hair dresser. I go to mine when I need a refill of hair. I give her a plastic shopping bag, and the next day I can go back to pick it up and it's FULL. =)
The oils from the humans stay on the hair and smell of human; and that's what deters the little pests - the human smell. I apply fresh hair once a year; no need to remove the old as it breaks down into the soil. Just poke it into the soil here and there around the plants with little tufts sticking up, and that's it. (or, you can poke it into your mulch, with little tufts sticking up). It helps to have donations from a bunch of brunettes! < =D
That is very interesting, Speedie! And a whole bag of hair--and here I was thinking of rescuing a few strands from my daughter's hair brush! :-D How thickly do you spread the hair around?
Speedie--
Interesting about the hair. I have heard that deer also do not like it.
Something about the hair sticking in their tender foot bottoms..
Do you think it would work on rabbits? I NEED a solution for rabbits!
I have acquired, over time, all kinds of critter ridder products--just too lazy to
mix and spray. Seems too much work when there is so much else to do.
Do you know that I once used shaved Irish Spring soap to sprinkle around beds?
Someone here mentioned it. The scent is overwhelming--maybe that is what works...
On the narcissus/daffodils--if they are the big ones--planting them 7"-8" deep is
recommended. So--if you use the bulb-planter thing--dig the hole up to the handle.
On the small daffs--like Tete-a-Tetes--they seem to work themselves deeper
than you planted them over time. Not uncommon for bulbs to do so. Maybe the roots
growing is what pulls them down?
G.
Re hair: Do you think I could just ask for a bag of sweepings from a Hair Cuttery?
Re bulbs: I know you are supposed to plant daffs deep, but I don't follow that religiously. I use a manual bulb digger to plant mine. Sometimes my holes are deep enough, and sometimes they aren't. I have heard that over time bulbs "pull" themselves to the right depth, so I don't sweat it. The daffs always do well (not so true of other bulbs for me).
That being said, I only buy daff cultivars that I think will naturalize, so I don't know if this approach makes sense for bulbs that will only survive a season or two. Many of my bulbs are already "showing" today but I really don't sense that it has much to do with the depth they were planted (though maybe it does). In the front yard, where I have hundreds of the same kinds of daffs planted in drifts, bulbs of the same cultivar all seem to show up at about the same time, same height, even though I am confident I haven't planted them all at the same depth. Bottom line: I wouldn't sweat it too much. But do get some dirt over them!
I have used dog hair with great results too! My next door neighbor with the shaggy dog thinks I'm a little weird but she always has plenty to share! :)
Really? I wonder if cat hair would also work.
Way back when I first planted them, I planted my daffs about 8 inches deep because I read that they wouldn't need to be divided as often that way. It also means I'm less likely to cut into them when I plant other things over them. I don't measure anymore, and I think they bloom at different times depending on the depth, but I like having the extended bloom period.
I am constantly cutting in to mine. I guess if I used a bulb drill I'd have more options, but I just plant as deep as I can shove the manual bulb planter!
I don't have much luck with my bulb planter, either because the ground is too muddy or too clay-y, so I usually get frustrated and get out the big shovel. My daffs multiply like rabbits, anyway, so I don't get upset if I "kill" a few. Sounds terrible, I'm sure.
I love planting bulbs among perennials, but I'm afraid I've lost more than a few bulbs planted at shallow depths when digging holes for new perennials or annuals.
Almost all daffodils I have tried have been bullet proof, no matter how planted. And most multiply a lot too. I take the accidental losses as thinning the herd. White Lion double is one that has not multiplied, just hung on or dwindled.
I don't know what any of my daffodils are called but, come to think of it, the few I have that look somewhat like White Lion double haven't multiplied at all either. It's the ordinary yellow ones that multiply way too much. They sure are a welcome sight in spring, though, and it's so nice to have something the deer won't eat!
I've also become a fan of anemone (blanda, I think) - long bloom period, beautiful and distasteful to deer, unlike crocus and tulips.
I have a zillion daffs- the downside is how long that foliage stays on. THough they say six weeks after bloom is all they need.
Sally--
That is one thing I HATE most about the bulbs--the dying off foliage.
The price we pay for spring beauty!!
Mine are more annoying--as they are in my small, structured beds.
Usually--it is time to plant annuals--and i am still dealing with all this bulb foliage!!
UGH! G.
Ha ha, that's exactly why I don't want them to multiply so much! I give them away by the hundreds, and still have too many. I won't throw them out, so I plant them elsewhere and - bingo - that means more foliage to pull up or cut off! It seems as if it takes forever to get yellow enough.
Usually 6 weeks--and then the are done...
Catmint: I usually just grab a small tuft of hair (regardless of length), stick my finger somewhere in the center of the tuft, and then poke my finger down into the soil, pushing the hair in along with my finger. The hair sort of 'folds in half' as it is pushed down into the soil, so I end up with an inch or 3 of hair sticking up. Firm the soil around it (so the rain doesn't wash it away), and that's that. Depending on the size of the plants, or quantity, I'd poke maybe 2-3 tufts per plant, "around" the plant. I don't worry about putting it around shrubs as my squirrels (yeah, like they're "mine") don't bother the shrubs at all. In containers; I put maybe 2 tufts per small pot (1-gallon and under), on up to 4-5 tufts per each 5-6 gallon sized pot.
Happy, yes Ma'am, you ABSOLUTELY can go to your favourite hair cuttery and ask them to save you a day or 2's worth of sweepings!! I'm sure they get that request a LOT, you won't look as "interesting" as you might think when you ask. ;) That is exactly how I get my hair, (different hair salon, same results: 'Sure, come back tomorrow and we'll have a bag full for ya!')
Absolutely dog hair works great too -- it's all about the smell. If squirrels detect the smell of what they consider a predator, they will stay away. Not sure if cat hair works too, don't know if squirrels consider cats to be predators... worth a try though! =)
Thank you ALL for all the great info on daff's!!! That is the plan for next Fall...a little mini sea of daff's. I'll have to figure out the "where" of it later. ;) I've got a manual bulb hole digger, the 'blade' part is about 8-9 inches long or so, so that will be perfect!! :)
thanks, Speedie! I'm eager to see how my crocuses and other small bulbs do this spring--the first year I've planted them. If not many of them come up, then I'm definitely going to need to try the hair trick next year, as I do have a few squirrels of 'my' own--LOL! They seem to especially love me because of the bags of bird seed I leave on my back deck waiting to be put into the feeders -- ahem!
psst muddy--it is ok to thin out your daffodils and destroy the tiny ones. you will not go to he#….much like trimming a shrub of excess growth.
I've tried throwing out tiny, seemingly useless bulbs... only to have them sprout where I tossed them in my "yuck" pile of soil out back. They just don't want to give up the ghost!
Sally: That's good to know about White Lion - your post reminded me that was one of the daffs I planted out front years ago, and then lost all the markers so I haven't kept track of what succeeded and what failed. Do you recall what especially succeeded for you? Carlton has been my biggest success.
Muddy: I tried anemone blanda only once and it was a bust. What conditions do you provide for it?
I haven't been out to check out my Helles yet but I also cut back on the ratty looking leaves and have done that for years with no ill effects. If there are no good leafs I don't cut back all leaves just some of them and then more later as the newer leafs come on. Always so exciting to see the first Helles bloom.
Ah, Helles...I call mine 'Old Faithful' absolutely no car and blooming away. I remember reading something about Helleborus, that they are like Spring ephemerals and soak up all the light they can to sore up energy for next year before desiduous trees leaf out and shade them from the harsher sun. This was in a paragraph recommending trimming ould ratty leaves as new begin to appear.
Karen, here is a link to Carolyn's Sade Garden and some beautious pics of Helles!
http://carolynsshadegardens.com/tag/hellebores/
David Culp has bred a # of nice Helles and she gives pics and a link to his work. Mr Culp developed several of the Helles people here are placing orders for on the North Creek Group Buy thread. 'Brandywine' and 'Candy Love' Nice. Initial order from us should go in sometime this week...Hope they are still available.
Out on my paper route there is a whole slope of the white ones (wild?) bloomong now...
Carolyn recommends pairing Helles with 'Sow Drops' Mine are late this year just started to bloom last week. Last year they began blloming mid Dec and didn't stop til late March. With the arctic visiting again this week, can't blame them much!
Paul, did you ever find Helle'Pink Frost'? One of Carolyn's first pics and a variety I like a lot!
Sally, I've gotten to the point where I can throw out ferns when they start taking over (although some get repatriated to the woods), so I don't know why I find daffodils so hard. I think it's because I really love to see them in the spring, and I figure that if I'm not going to enjoy them I should give them to someone who can. Fortunately, my sister just bought a house on 5 acres, so I can give them to her. Win win!
Happy, my anemones are in full sun in a fairly dry area. I didn't have as many come up the second spring, but that could have been because I dug up the "bulbs" (they look more like tiny wood chips to me) by mistake when planting annuals.
This message was edited Jan 19, 2014 6:44 PM
Judy,
I did not but I didn't look hard. Your snow drops are usually up by now!? You werent lying when you said your grow season is considerably longer. I recall a chart you provided and understand microclimates. Perhaps I can blame my selective memory.
Gee, I dunno, happy, I have about ten kinds of daffy that persist well and multiply. Only Salome seems less hardy.
Hawera, Ice Follies, Orange Ice follies ( not sure the id), Tete a tete, and a couple noids, Poeticus….and a good old yellow large trumpet…
Waiting to see my anemone second spring in the ground, under front dogwood tree
Sally--
I hope you also see your Tahiti daffs bloom this spring. Where did you plant them?
Speedie and cat---and anyone else.....
Please go buy a bag of Milorganite at HD ($12.35) and use THAT to
sprinkle around your plants the squirrels an bunnies like to chew on.
Milorganite is also known to repel critters. Why not? i
It is the byproduct of the sanitary water treatment plants. Google it-- very interesting.
I am sure the critters will smell plenty to deter them there. We don't--but they will.
It is also an organic, eco-friendly, gentle fertilizer (5-2-1.2) anywhere in your garden.
Such a shame people do not know this product better. I have used it on my
lawn for 3 years now---best grass I ever had. I swear by it--and I swear I will convert
any customers I can get to stand still and listen to me. Today's score? ONE couple!
But they went away swearing that that is what they will use from now on.
Much much better that Scotts with its burning, high N in it.
This is what it looks like. Look for it in the lawn fertilizer aisle in HD.
Gita
This year I planted a lot of my bulbs with an auger on he drill. It sorked great for getting the planting depth right and everything. I highly recommend using them.
Two cautions about Milorganite. My dogs LOVE to eat it. And (though I know you disagree, Gita), to me its smell is very off-putting, and it lingers for about a week. So if I use it, I try to do so right before going away on vacation.
I have no digs--so that is not a factor---
And--the only time I have smelled it at all is when I first open the bag.
To me that smell is an earthy, musty smell which soon disappears.
Wonder if knowing where this product comes from influences some people????
To me--it is the most amazing lawn fertilizer. Period. I put it down in spring--and never again.
My lawn is awesome!
These are pictures of my lawn in early April last year. Naybe a month after I fed it
with Milorganite. I do not feed it again all year. Can't deny it is very green and healthy.
Back yard--side yard--front yard.
Gita, I'll keep the milorganite in mind!
Sequoia, that's a good idea about having a way to measure the bulb depth for planting. I'll have to do something like that next time.
Paul, since you frequent libraries more than most (our Sallyg being the exception) you might spot a copy of the first gardening book I got when I moved to this area called "The Washington Star Garden Book" 1988 edition. I think what you are recalling was a discussion of how where I live has on average 235 days while Rockville has 176 and College Park has 186 days between first and last frost. Sallyg about 7 miles away has a month plus less average growing season than Annapolis. Also in the appendix are some charts of warm and cool spots in a 40 mile radius of DC. Interesting visuals. I turn on my furnace sometime after Thanksgivins and pretty much off again end of Feb. Earliest crocus bloom Feb 10th. Of course, with 25 more years of data toaverafe in I'm not sure how mush things have changed, Still I moved from 7a to 7b and feel I could pass for 8a with juust a little slight of hand or luck!
coleup, I never realized Annapolis was that warm, gosh you must have a wonderful microclimate going for ya. that is wonderful.
Feb 10 crocuses?? That is just right around the corner! :-o I wonder when mine will bloom, here in the Rockville/Silver Spring area.
Haha Where does 'Milorganite' come from? Well it used to come majorly from the breweries of Milwaukee! Mix beer and plenty of cheese and what you get does have a distinct smell which smells like home to some and a back alley to others. To each his own. In any event since brewery waste is no longer processed by city Miloganite is less rich than it once was.
As to Scotts, Hd treats Scots like royalty with all the best product placement while M is on the bottom of the very last back of store shelf. in outside garden..
I suspect drainage and wetness has a bit to do with how well my bulbs do as well as the bulb variety, That and how much less lighht they get with each new growth ring my oaks put on.
Wash Star Garden Book said best daffs for this area: Ice Follies, King Alfred, Cheerfullness, poeticus....So that's what I planted and that's what I still have.. I remember feeding them once butI never remove the foliage so I guess that evens out. Can't wait to see what the new bulbs I got from Critters Bulk Bulb buy do...
coleup--
You are right! No one has ever noticed Milorganite. It IS in the very back
of the lawn fertilizer aisle--a pile of dusty bags with crud al over them.
The couple I walked over there today had never heard of it nor seen it.
Totally--out of sight. Iasked them if I could show them something wonderful
for their lawn. I pulled down a bag so they could see all the good things written
on the front of the bag. They were quite impressed ans "SOLD" on it...YES!!!!
I wonder if I make a fuss over it--they would bring it out in a more noticeable
spot??? Not holding my breath--as all merchandise is where the
planograms say it has to be.
I wonder if Scotts has some kind of a "deal" with HD?
Vigoro is HD'd "store brand" and a few $$ cheaper than Scotts.
But--same high numbers of "N" and others.
Scotts small bags of lawn fertilizer (5000sf) is now over $30-something.
The bigger bags(1,500sf)--about $54. Mamma Mia!
Milorganite in a BIG bag--$12.35. Covers 2,500sf. Can be used in your garden
as a fertilizer as well as a critter repellant.
What's not to like??? Gita