Rodent wars

Well, good thing that I photographed those Crocus for you, because I came home from work last night to discover them missing along with at least 100 other bulbs and holes ripped around the garden. I don't know if it was squirrels, rabbits or mice ( I had a mice problem in my greenhouse this last winter and was able to kill 3 of them with poison.)

I spent the evening dodging the rain, building World War I style trenches and wire traps – it's the only thing that works to slow them down that I have found. Forget pepper sprays and moth balls, which are virtually ineffective. My only hope rests on the fact that I planted 130% more bulbs than I needed. I didn’t have enough chicken wire to cover everything, so I expect that the other half of the yard will be torn up when I get home tonight.

And then, if we make it past dusk with some living bulbs, there is supposed to be a hard freeze tonight of 20 degrees. Someone tell me why I am doing this again? Why haven't I learned?

Preston, this may cause you to shudder but...

several years ago we had a persistent squirrel with an appetite for the flower bed bulbs. Various methods failed, including the moth balls and cayenne. Just when it looked like I would channel Carl Spackler we received some advice: clean your hair brush and bury the hair - think very shallow - around the main digging sites. I did this (I have long hair) and that was the end of that. The individual who gave us the advice said the strong human scent would keep the animals away. Whatever reason, it worked, even though I felt pretty goofy doing it.

Julia Schrenkler
MPR Interactive Producer