Where'd my tulips go ??????? (flower, squirrel, spring, plants)

[ConeyIsBabe]

There were about 100 tulips of all colors when I purchased the property 4 years ago. Every spring they greeted me with their beauty... red, yellow, purple, etc. I'll post a photo as soon as I can download it.

This year........... only one lonely white tulip bloomed What could have happened ?

[teachertype]

Sometimes moles, voles, and nasty things eat them or disturb them looking for grubs to eat. When I had moles the flower bulbs just disappeared. See any holes or lumpy areas where they've been digging tunnels? I think squirrels eat them too.

[ConeyIsBabe]

Originally Posted by teachertype

Sometimes moles, voles, and nasty things eat them or disturb them looking for grubs to eat. When I had moles the flower bulbs just disappeared. See any holes or lumpy areas where they've been digging tunnels? I think squirrels eat them too.

YES, there are mole holes all over the property and of course squirrels But to have eaten all of them??????

[DubbleT]

Most types of tulips don't last more than a few years. If you want a good reliable showing every year you will need to periodically replants bulbs.

'In parts of the world that do not have long cool springs and early summers, the bulbs are often planted up to 12 inches deep; this provides some protection from the heat of summer and tends to force the plants to regenerate one large bulb each year instead of many smaller non blooming ones. This can extend the usefulness of the plants in warmer areas a few years but not stave off the degradation in bulb size and eventual death of the plants.' ~From the wiki

[Summering]

Daffodils........yesterday to keep the little fellows occupied in the car we looked for daffodils.
The little two year old would screech with delight if he saw some ( even if they were fake, or not )
The four year old would keep his eyes on the hunt. It was amazing how they behaved while having this chore. I use to do it with the twins. We'd sometimes go on a "who has pumpkins" and that would occupy their time to. Fun, and it works for behaviors.

[Caladium]

Agreed, this is why people turn to daffodils instead of tulips. I can believe the local critters would be hungry enough to eat that many bulbs. I've seen it happen in my yard. Tulips are like potato chips to them, once they get started they can't eat just one.

[Bugnubs]

Naughty squirrels dug up my expensive Rembrandt tulip bulbs the day after I planted them. I looked out the kitchen window and saw the little devils gaily digging them up and having a good munch. I replanted and cleaned my hairbrush over the bed. Sounds horrible, but evidently they (deer as well) don't like the scent and I never had problems again. Agree though, the bulbs don't last long. Perhaps if you dig them up each year you'd get longer life out of them, but a more experienced gardener here can tell you best. The 100 daffy bulbs I planted seemed to just rot away before they had to chance to bloom. I never saw evidence of squirrels eating them, but had only a few distorted blooms out of the 100 planted.

[clappt]

I have a number of tulips in two different beds that have NOT bloomed yet. The foliage near the top seems to be withering, and if I tug on it, it just pulls away and looks like it has been chewed at the bottom of the underground part of the stem. How can I get rid of whatever is eating them?

[no kudzu]

even if you can get rid of what is eating them now more critters will come and tulips just aren't worth the expense and hassle. If you absolutely have to have tulips you have to plant them with small mesh screen or some other barrier to critters. this still won't mean they will come back in successive years.

[leftygold]

Originally Posted by DubbleT

Most types of tulips don't last more than a few years. If you want a good reliable showing every year you will need to periodically replants bulbs.

'In parts of the world that do not have long cool springs and early summers, the bulbs are often planted up to 12 inches deep; this provides some protection from the heat of summer and tends to force the plants to regenerate one large bulb each year instead of many smaller non blooming ones. This can extend the usefulness of the plants in warmer areas a few years but not stave off the degradation in bulb size and eventual death of the plants.' ~From the wiki

I have had tulips in my property, for the last 35 years......