Why do you put up with soil that dries like concrete? Invest in your soil and all of your gardening will benefit. I have never had any tulips eaten by anything, I think yours are just giving up. Al

Of all the spring flowering bulbs, tulips are perhaps the most prone to rodent damage, as well as by rabbits and deer. Unfortunately, ALL tulip bulbs are so prone. You could always plant them inside wire or mesh baskets (look online for instructions on how to make or where to buy) -- this will stop the squirrels and voles but is no deterrant to deer or bunnies :-)

FWIW, most tulips do not perennialize well, so seldom return very successfully year after year. The exception are species tulips, which are far more inclined to make repeat appearances. Also, tulips - like all spring flowering bulbs - need really good drainage. Planting in clay soil is not advised and would definitely limit any ability to come back after flowering, if they even last that long.

Thank you for the above replies.

In the clay soil described above, crocuses and daffodils keep coming back year after year, well over 100 plants.

The clay does not seem to deter them. I do cut the tall grass every year (tall because I do not cut it until 2 months or so after the last daffodil flowering, when their leaves are brown), and I count on the grass, etc. cuttings to provide nutriments.

The voles became a big problem after our cats died. They were active hunters and kept them in check.

Any thoughts, recommendations about which tulip species to plant here in zone 6?

Any tulips will work for you in zone 6. And if you want something taller/showier than the species, the Darwin hybrids have a good reputation for returning.

Clay soils often have a tendency for poor or slow drainage but if your other bulbs flower and return well, then it must be adequate.

And maybe it's time to get another cat :-) Mine is a ferocious hunter as well and keeps my garden clear of voles, shrews, pocket gophers and various other critters. He caught a bunny yesterday.....I didn't much care for that :-( They are cuter than most other garden pests.

Here is a link that might be useful: species tulip selections

elmer I apologize for my response. My tulips are eaten by everything to the point that I do not plant them anymore, sorry. Al

My tulip bulbs do get dug up after planting them, unless I sprinkle dried blood and spray the ground and surrounding area with some kind of rodent repellent immediately after planting. They leave my daffodils and hyacinths alone so I plant more of them. I do plant a few tulips, because I love them but I treat them like annuals. Most tulips don't come back more than a year or 2 for me. And when they do come up, as soon as I see a flower bud, I spray that too, otherwise the deer will gobble them up. Deer love tulips!

Calistoga: no need to apologize; your question was excellent. Why do I put up with clay that dries hard as concrete?

I've found that in gardening (as in much else in life) there's always another side to everything, to every apparent problem. Silver lining in every cloud, and all that ... Every simple answer gets more complicated, and so on.

Tough clay means it is also tough for the little critters. I came to observe in my garden that the crocuses and some tulips in the tough clay soil come back year after year, while those in the nice soil don't. The good beds of rich organic soil are riddled with little holes. Not so the tough clay expanses.

So, it seems to me that the tough clay is good for the crocuses and a bit for some of the tulips. Daffodils and muscari go in both the clay and the better soil.

But I've become a daffodil fan in large part because of their reliability, year after year, and there are so many delightful varieties.

The problem with getting more cats is the heartbreak when they have to euthanized. I don't want to go through that again.

Thank you campanula for that list. I would love them all in the garden.

Two, tarda and praestans, I've tried. Some of the tarda did last for years, probably because I had them on a somewhat steep slope, and I've read that voles do not like sloped ground. That seems true: other bulbs liked by voles, including siberian squill and dwarf iris, do survive on slopes here but not on flat ground. Drainage is probably a factor.

Sprengeri tulips sound especially fascinating. So far, I've found only one supplier in the US who sells the seeds but none that sell bulbs.

You might also try planting them in small groups/patches with the tulip bulbs mixed liberally with narcissus or other mini-daffodil bulbs. Daffs and their kin are poisonous and they may prove a deterrent to the voles or mice that try to get to the tulips.

wire mesh is the only thing that works for me. I love the really short Little Princess variety, intermixed with miniature daffodils. They come back for several years.

What you do is take a moth-ball and plant it under the tulip. Voles and moles won't eat them that way. Rabbits ate mine last year though.

Hello folks....first time here, and I have a question of you all..... I am looking for a Canadian source, for "tulipa tarda bulbs"...... thanking you all, in advadnce....