Flower Bulbs Make a `Box Lunch' for Garden Pests

Bulbs are perfect, self-contained packages for gardeners. They're equipped with everything necessary to make flowers grow and bloom.

This photo taken March 26, 2006 shows a deer along a road near Beach Lake, Pa. Deer are among the...

This photo taken March 26, 2006 shows a deer along a road near Beach Lake, Pa. Deer are among the most voracious garden pests, particularly in spring when they graze on anything green and tender emerging from the ground. Fences are the best deterrents but must be built high. Deer can leap over a six-foot-high strand of wire. (AP Photo/Dean Fosdick)

(AP)

Problem is, that makes them a prize for predators, too.

"The perfect lunch box," said Leonard Perry, an extension professor with the University of Vermont. "Put them in the ground this fall and I guarantee you the plant pests will come."

But there are ways to minimize animal damage, and it begins by not underestimating your enemies. Squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, deer, mice, voles, moles and the many other critters that feast on flower bulbs are crafty. Observant, too.

"Just the fact you're disturbing the earth is a tip-off," Perry said. "These guys are curious. They'll know something is going on and come to investigate. Once they discover the newly planted bulbs, they'll assume it's food for getting them through winter and there you go. So much for any spring flower displays."

Deer and rabbits like grazing on the tender stems as they surface in early spring. Squirrels, chipmunks, voles and moles, among others, often dine underground. That requires designing a bulb defense in layers.

Here are some proven deterrents. For best results, use them in combination:

—Pest-resistant bulbs. Tulips are deer magnets but other, less appetizing bulbs are ignored, said Becky Heath, co-owner of Brent and Becky's Bulbs in Gloucester, Va. "In populated areas, where hunting is dangerous and there are no natural predators, deer have become brazen, going right up to the front door to eat something in a pot on a porch," she said. "Choose plants that either taste bad or are (naturally) poisonous." Inter-planting daffodils or alliums, both deer-resistant bulbs, among the more delectable tulips also can be effective.

—Fencing, wire covers, cages and other barriers. Voles, moles and chipmunks are notorious for tunneling their way to bulbs, shrubs and tree roots. "Put a wire mesh cage around them when you plant," Perry said. Fencing is expensive but it will keep deer out of the garden. Build them at least 7 feet high, however, since deer are excellent jumpers. An electric fence is another garden option.