We've got very well drained soil and they were Peter Nyssen so should have been sufficiently bulged up to flower. The lawn is potted with squirrel dug holes and many of the spots I planted the tulips had nearly dug holes soon after so I'm confident they're the most likely culprit.
I had hoped that the cardboard and mulch would prevent the squirrels from sniffing the bulbs out, which is how I assume they find them. I've been considering putting chicken wire down through the winter but there are some areas that this wouldn't be practical. Maybe I just buy lots of cheap bulbs and hope 🤞. Didn't have all this wildlife to worry about in my London garden!
@Fairygirl, I think you're right, try it and report back in the spring!
Do a wee trial and see what happens. It could be a really useful experiment. Pity to waste good P. Nyssen stock though - definitely buy a bargain bag of bulbs from somewhere! I know what you mean about it being difficult to cover some areas. I have lots of my bulbs underplanting other things, so that probably helps too. Plus - we have a lot of woodland nearby, and a small NT garden, so they aren't a massive problem here to start with - plenty of available food close by for them.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The only thing I have found beats the squirrels getting the bulbs in my garden is to plant really, really deeply in the ground. Like 8"-12", cover firmly, try to make sure the ground doesn't look disturbed afterwards. Any bulbs that can't go that deep such as Crocus I've had to give up on, but tulips have been fine. Occasionally they have a little scrabble as they seem to know something is there, but they only get an inch or two down.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
I believe it helps in deterring squirrels to bury the tulip bulbs as deep as possible (at least a foot) and pick up any bulb tissue debris after planting. I also peg down squares of small diameter chicken wire over the bulbs then cover this with soil on top.
I have tulips which have reliably flowered every year for about 4 or 5 years now. We have clay soil and lots of squirrels.
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I had hoped that the cardboard and mulch would prevent the squirrels from sniffing the bulbs out, which is how I assume they find them. I've been considering putting chicken wire down through the winter but there are some areas that this wouldn't be practical. Maybe I just buy lots of cheap bulbs and hope 🤞. Didn't have all this wildlife to worry about in my London garden!
@Fairygirl, I think you're right, try it and report back in the spring!
Pity to waste good P. Nyssen stock though - definitely buy a bargain bag of bulbs from somewhere!
I know what you mean about it being difficult to cover some areas. I have lots of my bulbs underplanting other things, so that probably helps too. Plus - we have a lot of woodland nearby, and a small NT garden, so they aren't a massive problem here to start with - plenty of available food close by for them.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I have tulips which have reliably flowered every year for about 4 or 5 years now. We have clay soil and lots of squirrels.