How to stop squirrels digging up bulbs — 6 ways to guard and protect your spring and summer bulbs

Wondering how to stop squirrels digging up bulbs? You wouldn’t be the only one — it’s a common problem for gardeners across the UK.

Learning how to protect your bird feeder from rats and squirrels is one thing, but your precious bulbs are likely at risk, too. And squirrels aren’t just one of the most common garden pests to watch out for in winter — they’re active all year round.

We’ll start by looking at the ways you can stop squirrels digging up your spring and summer bulbs right now, before they begin blooming in full swing, and then at some of the ways you can stop them later in the year…

What you'll need

• Some chicken wire from Amazon
• Chilli powder like Rajah Spices Chilli Powder from Amazon
• Coffee grounds

1. Block access

If you’re wondering how to stop squirrels digging up bulbs, blocking access to the bulbs is a great place to start.

‘We advise investing in a physical barrier,’ says Julian Palphramand, head of plants at British Garden Centres. ‘Try laying some chicken wire over the area where you have planted your bulbs.’

Just make sure the chicken wire is securely fixed to the ground to prevent wildlife becoming entangled or stuck in the makeshift bulb guard.

If you’d rather use a more natural protective method to stop squirrels from digging up your bulbs, you can try laying gravel around the area instead.

‘Gravel and stones around the bulbs in the planting hole should deter digging, too,’ says Julian.

2. Use natural pest-repellents

There are plenty of pest-repellent plants, but when it comes to squirrels, there are a few other natural deterrents you can use — and many can be found in your kitchen cupboard.

‘To deter pests like squirrels and rats, you can dust with chilli powder, which repels them without affecting birds,’ says Richard King, garden expert at Dino Decking. That’s why experts recommend adding chilli powder to your bird feeder.

Julian also recommends coffee grounds. ‘If you are a coffee drinker, you could spread the coffee grounds around the area as a natural repellent, as squirrels don’t like the scent,’ he suggests.

Not only will this keep the squirrels at bay, but it will also add vital nitrogen to the soil, nurturing your bulbs.

3. Plant further down

To stop squirrels digging up your bulbs, you need to stop giving them the opportunity. However, many novice gardeners make the same gardening mistake when planting their bulbs, and they don’t plant them deep enough.

When they’re closer to the surface, squirrels have even more opportunity to sniff out these bulbs and then dig them out. So, try and make sure that you’re planting them around 6-8 inches deep, no matter whether you’re planting straight into the ground or into pots.

4. Choose different bulbs

You’d be forgiven for thinking that squirrels love the taste of all bulbs. But, in reality, there are only a few bulbs that they can eat. On their list of favourites are tulip bulbs and crocuses, but that’s normally where their menu ends - either because they hate the smell of other bulbs or because they’re extremely toxic.

In fact, squirrels normally avoid daffodil bulbs and allium bulbs purely on the basis that they hate the stench that comes from them. But when it comes to hyacinths, snowdrops, and Muscari, squirrels will actively steer clear of them because they are deadly to them.

Because of this, one of the best ways to stop squirrels from digging up your bulbs is to choose different bulbs. If you can, avoid using tulips and crocuses altogether. But if you can’t bear to get rid of them, try and plant a mixture of squirrel-loving bulbs and squirrel-hating bulbs within close proximity of each other.

5. Avoid smelly fertilisers

When trying to grow bulbs for spring, it can be easy to add a fertiliser or nutrient-rich mulch to the soil to encourage healthy plants and growth. Of course, this is great for your flowers… but only if the bulbs survive until spring.

If you want to stop squirrels from digging up your precious bulbs, try to avoid using smelly fertilisers on or around your bulbs. That’s because squirrels are extremely attracted to the likes of blood meal, bone meal, and fish emulsion.

Basically, anything that smells delicious and natural is like a 5-star meal for squirrels, so opt for a soil topper that doesn’t have a strong odour instead.

6. Delay planting

Although most spring flower bulbs are planted between September and November, this is normally when squirrels are most active. During this time, they often gather food before the winter cold kicks in, allowing them to keep a stash to feast on during these colder months.

Because of this, it might work in your favour to delay planting your bulbs. Squirrels have normally finished their gathering by early November, and many varieties of bulbs are happy to wait until the end of the year to be planted. In fact, bulb planting is one of the best jobs to do in the garden in November.

FAQs

How do you protect bulbs in pots from squirrels?

If you can, try and cover your pots with chicken wire. Although this won’t affect the growth of your blooms, it will remove any chance of squirrels digging into the pot and digging up your bulbs. However, that’s not the only way to protect bulbs in pots from squirrels.

You could also sprinkle the likes of cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and coffee grounds into the pots to keep squirrels at bay, as these animals hate the strong scent.

It’s a good idea to try and plant your bulbs as deep as possible, too. Most squirrels can only dig around two inches into the ground, meaning anything planted deeper than that should be safe.

Good luck! Here's hoping you're able to keep the squirrels off your carefully planted bulbs.