Are you sure it's squirrels? Rabbits are the culprit here and that's exactly what they do. We don't have much of a rabbit problem in the backyard because our little dog Misty is a demon rabbit-hunter. But she doesn't have free run of the front yard so the rabbits have their salad bar there.

I'm so sorry. It's just heartbreaking when a plant you've been waiting to see for a whole year gets damaged before you can enjoy it. It's happened to me before, too, so I feel your pain.

Ohhh, wouldn't that just make you nuts!!! Not sure what you sprayed, but sprinkling some bloodmeal might help - don't forget to reapply after rain. It kept them from eating my bulbs at my old home.

(((hugs)))))
Nancy.

Looks like it got three more...including two special species tulips. :-( I simply can't understand why it is doing all this damage.

Thank you for the kind words and hugs! Now I know what it must be like for those of you who have to deal with deer and rabbits! Must be so upsetting...

I didn't have anything on hand, so I made up a hasty spray out of hot peppers, garlic water, and lemon juice. You think the scent would have kept that #%$&*! squirrel away, but it didn't. Tonight I am going to go find some animal repellant and bloodmeal to put around.

-woodyoak, no rabbits around here, but good idea.

Ps. do you think sweetannie would let me borrow her shot gun? :-]
CMK

I feel your pain! I didn't think I had any damage, but then saw they had chewed on a bluebird house....a lot! Blasted things. I do think the dog in the yard helps some.

Perhaps it's best not to feed the animals or at least train them to eat far and far away from your garden beds.

Also don't rule out mice. I recall one spring when my newly planted perennials were cut in half within an hour. I was so horrified and they weren't eating the plants, just chopping them down-- so I had to get traps to catch those things. Turned out a family moved in the garden and we managed to catch all of them.

Critter Ridder might help prevent visits.

Ibought some critter Ridder, and I will try it, but it is cats I hope to deter.
kay

Those darn squirrels! That's so frustrating :(

A gun might work, but how about a cat? Do you have an outdoor cat? That might take care of the problem.

Some herbs might help too. I know it's kind of early, but do mints or other herbs keep squirrels away? I know spearmint keeps mice away...that's why I'm planting it between the house and the sidewalk.

Another idea, could you dig up the species tulips and put them in pots? Maybe move them at night?

Thanks LL. I bought some spray last night that claims to keep all kinds of animals from eating plants. I found another tulip chewed off this morning, so I am not sure it is working (or maybe I just need to put a lot more on...)

Lol, quite a lot of special Tulips, so I don't think I will be moving any ;-) Good idea though.
CMK

I feel your pain, I was watching a huge rose bud grow on this tiny little plant for over a week or three, and that's not nearly as long as you were waiting for your tulips... and something came along and ate it!

Good luck!!

Oh, no!!! That would drive me crazy, too. We have a ton of squirrels and they don't seem to eat my plants, or at least not much. I do throw them bread crusts fairly regularly - not sure if that helps or hurts. (Dd hates to eat her crusts...)

I'm in the same boat! The rabbits have taken the blooms off a bunch of my tulips and I'm mad! Left all the greens, just took the flowers for dessert. I need a dog!

Hey Christin, are squirrels the only critters you have running around? Do you have chipmunks? Those bite off flowers and leave them laying around. It's like these rodents do it for spite. Simply maddening!

Well, at least I can join the club now, right? ;-) I used to say mine were nice Beatrix Potter squirrels. LoL! More like demon squirrles.

There are lots of neighborhood cats that come around, but don't seem interested in anything but getting high off of my Walker's Low, lol!

Susan, no chipmunks around here. We do have a lot of mice during the fall, but that is it. It is most definitely squirrels though- I saw that mangy rodent with a tulip head in its evil mouth. It ripped the petals right off, one by one.

Don't think the spray is working. It got one of my beautiful new brick red tulips with gold edging :-* Someone down the way from me has been known to catch them and take them to a park/wild area and let them go. Maybe I can see if he could do anything...
CMK

CMK- Demon squirrel (LOL)...we had what we called the angry beaver last year.

That little ^%*$&* would chew an aspen tree 6" above the ground until it fell over, and then leave. He didn't even try to build a dam, he just chewed up the trees. He finally left when the creek went down, but not before taking out about eight trees! Most of them were out of sight of the house, but a big one down by the creek came down last week and I'll bet he chewed it up before he left and the wind finally blew it over.

It's a good thing we still have about thirty in that grove, so I guess I shouldn't complain too much :)

LL, that is one annoying beaver. He isn't just taking out little tulips, but big trees! Thank goodness your house isn't near to that stand of trees!
CMK

No kidding! LOL

I think there was something wrong with the poor little guy, but we haven't seen him around this spring. His favorite trick was to gnaw a tree half way through and then move on to the next.

Hopefully "demon squirrel" will get tired of your tulips and move on to someone else's yard!

Well I know this is going to be late for this season, but next season, plant daffodils with and amongst your tulips. I find that this confuses them. They may still take a bite but after one or two bitter tastes, they may forego your garden plot altogether.

That is a good idea ianna. I read somewhere about planting daffodils with other bulbs because they poisonous and the squirrels will stay away from them. Too bad I don't have much luck growing daffs ;-)
CMK

This remedy came from another forum: Try mixing about equal parts peanut butter and plaster of Paris, then make marble-sized balls of the mix. Keep them in the fridge and put out a few at a time for the squirrels. I know it sounds cruel, but please read on:

It is said that these do not kill the squirrels because it hardens in their gut and plugs them up, but because, as rodents, they are very sensitive to excess calcium (hypercalcemia), which basically gives them a heart attack. The POP provides the calicum. Someone on the thread pointed out that several rodenticides contain Vitamin D, which causes an accumulation of calcium = hypercalcemia; less direct method, but same end result. I checked, and, sure enough, several rodenticides do contain Vitamin D.

I don't know if these balls would hurt birds or any other animals, I don't think so, but to be on the safe side I placed them inside a 2-liter soda bottle with both ends cut off to create a tube, weighted with a flat rock.

When I last tried this, I did see a reduction in the number of squirrels running around. We were desperate, as they'd been getting into our house - actually chewing through the siding, bending metal flashing, and completely destroying two attic vents in order to get inside, where they not only chewed on things in storage, but the fiberglass insulation and the insulation on the electric wiring as well. So, this went waaaaayy beyond decapitated tulips, shredded crocus, and uprooted seedlings.

I hope you find something that works for you (and that you all won't think I'm some kind of monster).

CMK, I often mix daffodils with my tulips - lasagna style. I layer bulbs atop each other (in fact I mix early to late season tulips in one hole) and with this technique, I've never had problems with my bulbs being dug up. No worries about poisoning the animals. It's more of them taking a bite and spitting it out and it's a toxin that sickens but i've never heard of it killing.

Also they hate alliums and alliums are really pretty and will bloom after the tulips are done.

Ianna

-agardenstateof_mind, no I don't think you are a monster ;-) It is too bad your situation got so bad that the squirrels had to be killed, but when the fine balance becomes upset sometimes people have to step in to right things.

-ianna, so do you think planting the daff WITH the tulip bulb works better than just planting them near each other? I have a few daffodils nearby a stand of tulips and that didn't seem to deter the pea-brained buggers from giving them the chomp. Never thought of Allium! Daffodils just don't do well for me, but Allium do. This is as good excuse as any- I had been wanting to try some more anyhow ;-)
CMK