Well thats why I figured it was deer or rabbits because they chewed off the leaves that emerge first out of the soil. The flower stems are starting to grow up on most of them so I am keeping them sprayed with Liquid Fence to keep the deer away. I know the squirrels will take the bulb when you plant them so I sprinkled red pepper flakes to keep them away. I am always at battle with something. lol! I agree luvahydrangea, squirrels get into EVERYTHING! They dig the soil out of my pots, my mulch out of my beds, the seed out of my feeders, just to name a few. grrrrrr........

There are a few of the (much tougher) species tulips you might like to try. Firstly, the tiny t.humilis, in various colours. Taller, but lovely with blooms which open flat like little flying saucers - tulipa clusiana, aka the lady tulip - pink and white or pale yellow and soft red. T,Tarda - small yellow and white, very easy and will increase T.batalini - my favourites (apart from sprengeri - more later) - lovely glaucous foliage and pale yellow or apricot blooms - very reliable T.praestans, t.hageri, t.vvedensky (sp?) - all reds and oranges - often multi-headed, larger fatter leaves T,urumiensis - a tiny bronze and pale yellow. T,albo-caerulea - expensive but unique blue and white blooms Finally, my favourite (and last to bloom) the lovely t.sprengeri. These use root droppers to dig themselves 14inches deep into the soil and have tiny bulbs - unlikely to be eaten and are the only tulips which will grow in some shade. A lovely woodland clearing specimen. I find that the species tulips, as long as they get good drainage and a dry baking in summer, are totally reliable, easy and are often less devoured by other rodents....as well as being more interesting and unusual than the garden tulips (although I grow many of both).

Yes they will. Turkeys especially, deer if you have them, most any birds this time of year as well. Fencing or row covers. Dave

The basic rule of thumb is rabbits and deer won't eat poisonous plants. They also tend to avoid very dry, very fuzzy, very scratchy and highly scented plants. Dry and fuzzy things get gummy in their mouths and require water to wash them down. They're eating the plants as much for the water as they are for nutrition. They avoid highly scented plants because it "jams their radar". They all rely upon their senses of smell to detect danger. Highly scented plants, not the flowers but the actual foliage, over power their ability to smell and they can't tell if there are coyotes or other predators in the area so they tend to avoid being so close to them to retain their ability to smell danger. Of course, a highly stressed animal is going to be willing to take more risks and eat things they normally wouldn't. And, they can't read, so are often not familiar with what is often on the "do not eat" lists. Sunset Western Garden book for a long time stated deer won't eat agapanthus, but they will gnaw off all the opening flower clusters, leaving them looking as if Ophelia Addams lives at your house. They tend also to avoid areas with the strong scent of blood as that 'tells' them a kill has occurred and Nature avoids death. Urine from predators can repel them because that indicates their predator has been marking its territory, and they know invading that territory can often result in them being dinner. The commercial and home repellants often work because of the "radar jamming" effects. They tend also to avoid areas where they feel too exposed, particularly where they don't have a fast, easy escape route or where they can easily become trapped. Given their choice, they will usually eat things easily accessed via their entrance and more hidden from view. Increasing stress results in them foraging deeper and deeper into normally considered unsafe areas and their taking greater risks to find food. Using the raised boards or sticks as Strawberryhill suggested is like a cattle guard. Cows see the parallel lines on the ground and instinctively know they can get their hooves caught in them, so they avoid them. Deer need something they fear will trip them or injure them. They can jump a seven foot fence because they can jump high for short distances. They can't and usually won't try jumping two shorter fences placed four or five feet apart from one another. While they can go up high for a short distance, they can't jump long distances without a good running start. The trick is finding which combination works well in your situation and for long periods. They can quickly learn your repellant efforts have no teeth behind them, like the plastic owls on poles with rabbits. If the owls don't actually fly at them, chasing them, the rabbits will quickly learn they can continue grazing right under them with no consequences. So far, the best repellant I've found for all of them are the motion sensor sprinklers. You have to get them set just right to protect the area against the varmint you have to repel, and you have to constantly remember YOU are a "varmint" when seen by the motion detector. It's the surprise of the noise and being hit with a strong, fast stream of cold water when violating the area that keeps that system working against the rabbits and deer. Motion activated lighting works for a short time, but has no "teeth" behind them, so they quickly become accustomed to them and ignore the light. They never ignore a noisy rain bird full of strong, cold water. Get hit with it once and neither will you! The real trick for safety with the motion sensor sprinkler is not to turn the hose on strongly. Too strong and it may cause the hose to burst, resulting in wasting a lot of water and causing flooding should you not find the problem for hours after it occurs. Turning the hose on to a trickle usually allows the pressure to build when needed for that strong, thirty second noisy blast of water. If the hose bursts before the pressure is needed, you shouldn't waste much water at a trickle. Normally, all it takes is one blast an evening to keep the deer out unless you have herds of them to contend with. Kim