It’s bulb planting time! Before you plant, heed a bit of advice when it comes to protecting your bulbs from rodent damage. Bulbs make an easy, tasty snack for furry foragers, but by taking a few simple steps, you can help protect lush Spring flowers!

One thing you can do is create a barrier out of chicken wire. Simply plant your bulbs and cover with the depth of soil recommended for the type of bulb, then roll out a length of chicken wire that will cover your bulb bed, hammer a few lawn stakes to hold in place, then add a little mulch to cover the wire. This will help prevent rodents from accessing the bulbs. In the Springtime, remove the wire so the plants can have ample space to grow.

Bloodmeal is another option to help deter pests. You can sprinkle it in when you plant the bulb, and also sprinke some on top of the soil when done planting. Bloodmeal helps protect, as well as provide nutrients to the bulb.

Another natural way to deter critters is to sprinkle dog or human hair around the planted bulb area, or adding a small layer of crushed oyster shells or gravel below and above the planted bulb. Most critters will not bother to make the effort to dig through a sharp, heavy layer.

Additionally, try planting bulbs that are unsavory to rodents like daffodils, snowdrops, snowflakes, allium, hyacinths, muscari, fritillaria, bearded iris, foxtail lily, squill, anemone, freesia, callas, gladiolus, ruberose, liatris, ranunculus, and cyclamen.