Marde's Blog

Defeating Voles, Moles, and Gophers: Tulips, Daffodils, Peonies

by | Sep 22, 2012 | All Categories, Gardening Tips for Daffodils, Tulips, Peonies & Naturalizing Bulbs | 4 comments

Daffodils need not worry about rodents and deer, but other bulbs like Tulips and Gladioli are susceptible to some or to others.

These are the villians in the garden:

Vole

Vole

The vole is a mouse type of rodent who can traverse through gopher holes as well as dig his own.

Pocket GopherPocket Gopher

The pocket gopher eats roots and bulbs but neither Daffodils nor Peonies.

MoleMole ready to go after grubs and insects and also some bulbs and roots but neither Daffodils nor Peonies.

An effective technique for defeating some of these garden villians are buried plastic crates with holes too small for rodents and large enough for roots to penetrate. The crate is buried up to its rim, dirt is added and bulbs planted normally as to dept and spacing. These crates are what I receive my daffodils in and which pile up each year. If you are closeby, you can pick some up from me!

crate of bulbs

These bulbs are piled in and not ready to plant but you get the idea! Gophers not interested!

 

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4 Comments

  1. Fred Joseph

    We planted some daffodil bulbs and the next day they had bees unearthed and scattered about. If moles and voles are not the culprits., who is? Would camphor balls help?

    Reply
    • Marde Ross

      I hear that squirrels unearth bulbs, but no critter I know of eats daffodils as they are toxic! You might place screening over them if they are in pots.
      Good luck!
      Marde

      Reply
    • Katrina Oak Aschenbrenner

      Yes gopher detest daffodils and will go through great efforts to kill them by pulling them deep in the earth or pushing them out of the ground.

      Reply
  2. Anita

    Raccoons will dig up newly planted bulbs also. They are hunting for bugs.

    Reply

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