How to Deter Squirrels from Eating Your Fall Bulbs
by Suzanne DeJohn

Pesky, hungry squirrels love devouring your garden, bulbs and all! Read on for our best tips in keeping them away from your favorite plants.
Although their antics are fun to watch, squirrels can be a real nuisance when they dig up your newly planted bulbs. The simplest way to prevent problems is to plant bulbs they don't like to eat. Here are some of the bulbs found to be distasteful to squirrels:
Our Strawberries & Cream Daffodil Collection features luscious layers of petals with accents of pink and tangerine to sweeten your spring display. This collection features tried and ...
Learn MoreStrawberries & Cream Daffodil Collection Strawberries & Cream Daffodil Collection Narcissus$51.98 Sale $38.99Per Collection of 30Our Strawberries & Cream Daffodil Collection features luscious layers of petals with accents of pink and tangerine to sweeten your spring display. This collection features tried and true Royal Horticultural Society award winning varieties. Easy-to-grow Daffodils are deer resistant and will come back year after year, gently naturalizing through your garden. Bee-and-butterfly-friendly flowers bloom from mid to late spring, with some into early summer. Great cut flowers. Collection of 30 bulbs.Orangery Butterfly Daffodils add a colorful punch to the mid-spring garden, with unusual layered petals and a sweet fragrance. Ivory petals sit gracefully behind boldly ruffled tang...
Learn MoreOrangery Butterfly Daffodil Orangery Butterfly Daffodil Narcissus 'Orangery'As low as $13.32 Sale $9.99Per Bag of 8Orangery Butterfly Daffodils add a colorful punch to the mid-spring garden, with unusual layered petals and a sweet fragrance. Ivory petals sit gracefully behind boldly ruffled tangerine cups in an irresistibly charming display. Be sure to plant extra for the vase, since they make lovely cut flowers too. Gently naturalizing over time, this unique Daffodil attracts bees and butterflies. (Narcissus)Sailboat Daffodils greets the mid-to-late spring garden with sweet yellow blooms that mature to a luminous warm white hue. The petals are swept back like the sails of a boat. Sailboa...
Learn MoreSailboat Daffodil Sailboat Daffodil Narcissus jonquilla 'Sailboat'As low as $13.32 Sale $9.99Per Bag of 8Sailboat Daffodils greets the mid-to-late spring garden with sweet yellow blooms that mature to a luminous warm white hue. The petals are swept back like the sails of a boat. Sailboat Daffodils will naturalize readily, offering abundant blooms as each stem bears 2-3 fragrant blossoms. Beautiful as cut flowers, they are lovely in containers too. Plant these beauties en masse for the full effect of their cheerful habit. This outstanding cultivar is the winner of the American Daffodil Society Wiliam G. Pannill Award. (Narcissus jonquilla)The large, showy flowers of Precocious Large Cupped Daffodils are a striking addition to a spring garden. At 3-4 inches across, the blooms feature pure white petals surrounding a pea...
Learn MorePrecocious Large Cupped Daffodil Precocious Large Cupped Daffodil Narcissus 'Precocious'As low as $13.32 Sale $9.99Per Bag of 6The large, showy flowers of Precocious Large Cupped Daffodils are a striking addition to a spring garden. At 3-4 inches across, the blooms feature pure white petals surrounding a peachy-pink frilled cup. This burst of clear color blooms from mid-spring to early summer, perfect for filling the gap between most spring-blooming bulbs and the arrival of summer’s flowers. Beautiful in flower bouquets, too! (Narcissuss)
Plant tulips and crocus, on the other hand, and you're putting out the equivalent of catnip for your cat (or chocolate for me). That doesn't mean you can't enjoy these beauties, it just means you have to outsmart the squirrels. There are two ways to approach this: place a barrier between the bulbs and the squirrels, or use a deterrent — something the squirrels avoid.
Squirrel and Rodent Repellents
There are a number of repellent sprays on the market that may help deter squirrels, with mixed reviews on how effective they are. You may need to reapply them frequently, especially after a rain.
Avoid sprinkling ground hot pepper around planting beds. The powder can get into the eyes of animals and cause them excruciating pain.
If you want to try hot pepper, the Humane Society recommends using a hot pepper wax spray, which adheres to plants and is less likely to get into animals' eyes. And avoid using mothballs; they're toxic when ingested and may add unnecessary toxins to your soil.
Tips for Deterring Squirrels with Repellents:
- Spray (or sprinkle) deterrents early in the season, before your garden plants are even available to munch on. This can help to prevent your garden from becoming a favorite spot.
- Alternate between different types of repellents, so that rodents don't become used to your tricks. Keep them guessing!
- Be more mindful of applying repellents after long winters or dry spells, when food sources are scarce. This type of weather encourages competition between all kinds of garden critters in their search for food, and you may notice more activity than you have seen in the past.
Squirrel Proof Barriers
Some gardeners go so far as to dig out the entire planting bed, line it with chicken wire, plant the bulbs and then wrap the chicken wire up the sides and over the top of the bed. The squirrels can't dig through the wire mesh but the bulbs can easily grow through the holes.
Hardware cloth lines the bottom of this raised bed, and is folded and secured up the outside edges. Unlike chicken wire, hardware cloth has much tighter openings that smaller rodents can't squeeze through! You can find it at home improvement stores in 10 and 25 ft' coils. Chicken wire, however, is the smarter choice for covering your plantings, as it will allow your bulbs to sprout and emerge through the holes.
Squirrels are particularly attracted to newly planted bulbs — when the diggin' is easy! Covering the planting area for the first month or two after planting may be enough to let the soil settle and trick the squirrels. You can cover it with anything squirrels can't dig through but rain can permeate, like chicken wire, hardware cloth or window screens. Planting bulbs later in the fall, after the squirrels have done most of their food cacheing, may prevent some loss of bulbs, too.
Other Squirrel and Rodent Garden Proofing Tips
Instead of planting a solid bed of tulips and crocus, you can try interplanting with some of the bulbs mentioned above that are usually avoided by squirrels. That may offer some measure of protection.

Ideally, you want squirrels to make their meals away from the garden. This may require some trickiness on your part!
- Keep bird feeders away from the garden, or make an effort to clean fallen seed up off teh ground regularly. You can always use the old "if you can't beat them, join them" attitude and set up a special squirrel feeding station. By offering the squirrels a ready supply of easy-to-access food, you might keep them from digging.
- Keep the area mowed and free from rock and wood piles, which offer the perfect habitat. Tidy up after planting, too. Don't leave bulb debris (like the papery "tunics" that fall off tulip bulbs) around the planting area, because it acts like a breadcrumb trail to the bulbs.
- Trees, clotheslines, and other structures near the garden can offer squirrels a sense of comfort and protection when maneuvering through the area. If possible, limit these 'jungle gym'-type networks close to your planting beds.
- The regualr presence of a cat or dog is a powerful way to deter squirrels!
Hopefully, these techniques will help you foil foraging squirrels this fall, so you can enjoy colorful blooms next spring.
Annika is a wildflower tulip cultivar with a romantic coloration that shifts from soft buff pink to a deeper rose pink as the flower age. Deep purple centers are like a faded ink blo...
Learn MoreAnnika Tulip Annika Lady Tulip Tulipa clusiana 'Annika'As low as $18.66 Sale $13.99Per Bag of 15Annika is a wildflower tulip cultivar with a romantic coloration that shifts from soft buff pink to a deeper rose pink as the flower age. Deep purple centers are like a faded ink blot. Each bulb will send up 2-3 flowers on dainty stems, kicking off Tulip season with a burst of blooms in early to mid spring. A bee-friendly bulb with a strong tendency to spread and naturalize in grassy areas or rock gardens. (Tulipa clusiana)The Barrett Browning Small Cupped Daffodil is named for poet Elizabeth Barret Browning, who penned the famous line “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” True to it...
Learn MoreBarrett Browning Small Cupped Daffodil Barrett Browning Small Cupped Daffodil Narcissus 'Barrett Browning'As low as $11.99 Sale $8.99Per Bag of 8The Barrett Browning Small Cupped Daffodil is named for poet Elizabeth Barret Browning, who penned the famous line “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” True to its namesake, this cultivar has been a beloved favorite since its introduction in 1945. Blooming in mid-spring, it is an early season delight with broad, crisp white petals contrast a frilled tangerine-orange cup. Winner of the Wister Award for outstanding garden daffodils from the American Daffodil Society. (Narcissus)Red Hunter Tulip, also called Wisley Tulip, features brilliant red flowers around a black center. Starting Tulip season with a pop of color and blooming longer than most species tuli...
Learn MoreRed Hunter Tulip Red Hunter Tulip or Wisley Tulip Tulipa linifolia (Batalinii Group) 'Red Hunter'As low as $15.99 Sale $11.99Per Bag of 15Red Hunter Tulip, also called Wisley Tulip, features brilliant red flowers around a black center. Starting Tulip season with a pop of color and blooming longer than most species tulips, its mid-to-late spring flowers are surrounded by narrow, upright, silver-green leaves. Plant at the front of the garden or in containers, where the scarlet flowers and attractive foliage will catch your eye. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden of Merit. (Tulipa linifolia Batalinii Group)With deep plum blooms with a rich fragrance, Woodstock Hyacinth is a gorgeous addition to the spring garden. The warm purple blossoms will complement bright yellow daffodils and pair...
Learn MoreWoodstock Hyacinth Woodstock Hyacinth Hyacinthus orientalis 'Woodstock'As low as $11.99 Sale $8.99Per Bag of 6With deep plum blooms with a rich fragrance, Woodstock Hyacinth is a gorgeous addition to the spring garden. The warm purple blossoms will complement bright yellow daffodils and pair nicely with jewel-toned tulips. Early-to-mid-spring blooms are known for attracting bees with plentiful nectar. Plant in the front of the garden or in containers to enjoy the sight and scent of Woodstock Hyacinth. (Hyacinth orientalis)