crocus in the side garden

Hooray!  It is finally the time of year when I can start posting pictures of what's blooming in my garden.  I planted these crocuses years ago under some snow-in-summer, which seems to protect them from squirrels.  They are in my side garden, another south-facing hotspot where things come up earlier than most other areas of my garden.  Plant these bulbs in fall.

Comments

[Paula H.]

Do you have any problems with the hares eating your spring flowers?

Oh, and I am putting those blue squill on my list of must haves!

[Calgary Garden Coach]

Good question. Let's put it this way - I no longer plant tulips in the front yard. They also seem to like grape hyacinths, although I have quite a few so some get eaten, some get spared. My species tulips don't get touched though, and neither do the squills, as long as the squirrels don't dig up the bulbs after I plant them - blood meal helps with that. So species tulips and squills are on my list for more fall planting!
Janice

[plantman]

Hares (jackrabbits) apparently hate narcissus. I planted tulips mixed with them, and they won't touch them. They eat the roses and hydrangea (they like the dried flowerhead, it seems) though. And they dig up and eat the occasional crocus bulb, amazingly enough.

[Calgary Garden Coach]

Hmm. It seems hares in different parts of the city may have different tastes! They never touch my roses or hydrangea! I agree on the daffodils, though, they are a safe bet.
Cheers,
Janice

[Bradford Allen]

My main problem in my garden was squirrels. But that was before, as I know now how to protect the plants from these furry creatures. Squirrels mostly travel through tree canopy, so I always make it a habit to trim the trees above roofs and fence streaks.

[Calgary Garden Coach]

Thanks for the info, Bradford. I guess that is a solution if your trees are small and/or far enough away from buildings and fences. But there's only so much trimming you can do before you hurt a tree and for my big trees, this wouldn't be feasible!
Cheers,
Janice