It’s Tulip Time!
How can anyone resist a tulip? So elegant and easy-going. Until the critters find them. But never mind that. It’s tulip time!
I indulge in antique tulip varieties because my house was built in 1929 but more importantly, I like the oddball, the historic, and the weird ones. I’ll never dig up the bright red ones that came with the house, but I’m planting the fun ones for myself.
So…critters. I share the property with a host of chipmunks, rabbits, voles, and squirrels with occasional mice, raccoons, and opossums. Plus myriad birds and I’m hoping for bats. Fortunately, I do not have deer. How do I grow tulips with the rodent pressure? I’ve got a few different strategies. None of them are foolproof, but they do work pretty well.
Interplant with Distasteful Bulbs
I’ve had decent results interplanting tulips with daffodils, allium, and fritillaria. Those are all stinky or poisonous bulbs that critters will avoid. Allium and fritillaria are smelly (have you planted one of those big F. persicas? Whoa!) and daffodils are poisonous in all their parts. Plus, I have a good time pairing historic daffodils with the tulips and making combinations that bring secondary and tertiary colors into play.
Strategic Siting aka Making Mint Work For You
Think that patch of mint is the bane of your existence? Well, maybe not. I have rampant spearmint growing in the sacrificial strip between the driveways. It’s not going anywhere, we use quite a bit of it, and it acts as a nice rodent repellant. The critters do not like the oils on their fur because they are prey animals. Predators, like fox and coyote, know where the mint patch is. When there’s a minty scent trail leading away from the area, they know something tasty is on the move. Pre-seasoned rabbit, if you will. Smart bunnies keep out of the mint and the fox moves on. I’ve also had reasonable luck cutting the spearmint back to the ground in the spring so it stays short and weaves around other plants as a matrix layer. So, the small species tulips that like a faster draining, more gravelly soil get tucked into the mint. Gardener win!
All the Repellants
I prefer granular repellants over sprays because I like shaking canisters. For some reason, it's very satisfying. Once tulips are up, the baby bunnies are usually out in force. I switch between three different formulas of repellant. They all work. However, rabbits are fairly bright and figure them out eventually. I’ll either alternate with each application, or change it up every couple of months depending on weather, level of damage, and because it’s a Wednesday. I do put all three repellants on the poke milkweed at the same time because evidently it is irresistible. For tulips, a shake of granular works well when I see things getting nibbled. Do they delicately eat around the daffodils to get to the succulent tulip leaves? Of course they do. Little pesky hawk hors d'oeuvres.
This spring, the tulips have been magnificent. Let’s enjoy!
