Gambling on Tulips

Voles and bulbs do not commingle well . When I first plant my garden over a decennary ago , I did n’t have a vole trouble . But in more late year , my property has become the Las Vegas Strip of rodents . I do n’t know what I did to see red the garden god , but it must have been bad because this plague of furry pseud - hamsters has been epic . One of the first tip - offs I had voles was that my tulip started to vanish .

My circumscribed tulip collection was concentrated in an area penny-pinching to the mansion ( and away from the deer ’s prying eyes ) , so it was pretty obvious when one class the tulips merely evaporate . Then the veronica in the same area started looking peaked , and I discovered that its integral root system had been shear off . I ’ve tried various strategies over the years to populate this finicky stretch of vole superhighway , such as plant new lightbulb with pea crushed rock or encasing bad plants in metallic element mesh bags . The only matter that worked was planting vole - resistant thing like euphorbia and grape hyacinth . But I really miss my tulips .

A few years ago when the vole universe seemed to be declining a bit , I decided to roll the dice again and invest in some metal money tulips . I told myself that perhaps these wild versions were tougher and well capable to withstand an onslaught from the vole ground forces . And you know something ? They were . Now this is likely a complete good fortune , and I did take some prevention measures , such as establish the new bulbs with crushed oyster shells ( as Tovah Martin suggests in her clause “ Get to Know Species Tulips , ” ) and siting them among a ocean of euphorbia . But whatever the reason , I got to bask a tulip show for the first time in age . It would be wishful thought process ( or fake advertising ) to say that mintage tulip are more rodent resistant than their crossbreed counterpart . However , I opine my chronicle might serve as inspiration for anyone out there who think they are out of the tulip game altogether because of their garden pest trouble . Sometimes horticulture is a gamble . In my case , I placed a $ 10 stake on lightbulb and this time the house — I mean the voles — turn a loss .

— Danielle Sherry , executive editor program

FromFine Gardening#204

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