Hi F4F sorry you are sick,I think it is going around the world we all had it then it started back on the grandbabies,I don't want no more,as for the squirrels good luck the more I do to get rid of them the more family they bring back.Hope you feel better soon.
Bonnie

F4F I hope you feel better real soon, wish I had some good
ways to tell you to get rid of the squirrels, have you
tried putting some wire around your bulbs?
Feel better,

Karen

No, I have never had any trouble with them before and a lot of them are in a mixed bed with perrenials and I was just waiting for them to resprout. Most are lillies and some crocosmia that I have never gotten to see bloom. I don't know how I would put wire down now that the other plants are so large around them. The dog will just pull it out if I put small pieces. I thought it was strange that she was digging in my whiskey barrels since they are so tall, lol. Thanks for the well wishes. Going to take a hot bath and try and get some sleep.

Kristy, so sorry to hear you are not feeling well. All the junk that is going around right now is just terrible.

As for the squirrels have you thought about introducing the devil dog to Mr. Squirrel? I have, not that it does much good but at least it is funny to watch the squirrel, he watches the back door (he raids my bird feeder) and when the door starts to open he runs. I really dont let the dogs after him anymore cause he runs thru the flowerbeds then the dogs follow him. but he is afraid enough to run when the back door opens.

Mary

Hope you are feeling better soon. Don't bother feeding the tree rats. They'll keep on digging up the bulbs then they'll invite their chipmunk cousins to join in the feast. Chicken wire is just about the only thing I know of that for sure will keep the bulbs safe. The concoction I make to keep animals from eating my plants keeps the squirrels away but I don't know if spraying it on the soil will work or not. It might be worth a try. You mix a bunch of crushed garlic cloves, veggie oil, whole eggs and water together and leave it out in the sun to ferment for a few days then strain it and spray it. The ssmell is gross. I wouldn't mix it up until you are feeling better. If you are already queezy this will send you over the edge.
Karyn

Lol, just thinking about it makes me want to barf. The darn dog would probably like it, lol. My husband says he has seen her jump into the large planters and sniff around. Maybe she is smelling the squirrel. I guess Mr. Squirrel knows devil dog goes to work during the week and its safe to rummage on weekdays. I will try to figure something with the chicken wire when I feel better. I think they are all goners already and it sucks because some of those were white easter lilly looking things I stole out of an abandoned house site and can't get anymore since they tore it down. I figured they would be foolproof since they were growing up through the weeds so nicely with no care.

Kristy, sorry to hear you are sick..sounds like what I had. Ugh, I feel for ya girl..lotsa rest, OJ and grapefruit juice..better yet, just eat a grapefruit. That's usually what I do when i feel I am coming down with something, pink grapefruit for breakfast and you'll be surprised how much better you feel. I wish I did it last time I was sick, just so damn expensive anymore, lol.

As for your lil furry b&^%$#*. Get some chili powder and spread it on the ground around your bulbs. You can even make a tea with it and spray it on your plants. Only thing that sux about it is you have to re-apply after a good rain. Also throw some dog fur in there when you brush your dogs.

Get some live traps and re-locate those guys. Have to take them a good distance away though..I am not sure about the squirrels but I know groundhogs have to get relocated to at least 5 miles away. Believe me, we had so many groundhogs & squirrels 4 years ago when we moved in this house, I made a very many trips bringing critters to their new homes in the woods, lol. Everything went 5 miles, except for a few squirrels. I tried 1 mile, but they came back, and believe me they were the same ones. So I took them the 5, and never saw them again. I think I havent had any bulbs dug up lately cuz our cat started going outside alot now.
Watch your canna bulbs too..I had a squirrel in the fall steal a giant canna bulb and run 3 yards till I lost sight of him, hopping fences at every yard with a bulb clump almost bigger than him in his mouth, all I could do was stand on my back steps screaming obscenities at him in disbelief.
Daniella

Kristy

So sad you're sick! But it's going around. Let it run it's course & you'll be ok! It's going to be tough though! As far as Mr. Squirrel & family (as there will be more) - I'm going to hate saying this (only because you seem to hate the squirrel), but get a feeder, fill it with whole corn & hang somewhere FAR away from your bulbs & plants. As far away as possible! Whole corn is cheaper than black oil sunflower seed. They do eat both however. Don't use ear corn as they'll just carry the entire ear away - and try to bury each kernel. It could turn out worse for you. I usually have 4-6 little gray squirrels the entire summer & this seems to work for me. ONE special feeder away from the house for them & they seem happy! They still eat underneath the other feeders - as I use the squirrel proof feeders (I have four) for the birds. Give it a try & hopefully it will work. Hope you & hubby begin to feel better! :)

Mike

I like gray squirrels. We have mostly red & they chase the grays away. The reds get into everything. We had one who climbed up & chewed a hole in the porch roof. It raised a family & they all ran in & out all summer. We covered the hole with wire & they chewed a new one next to it. I was so afraid they would get inside. Can you picture 150 pounds of dog & 9 cats chasing one around the house? It's bad enough when a mouse gets in. The dogs take care of them & the chipmunks if they can catch them which isn't very often. We finally got rid of them when these ugly brown birds with an awful raspy voice moved in & ran them off. Then they made their own nest & way more noise than the squirrels. We screened the holes as soon as they were gone & haven't had birds or squirrels in there since. We had one in the attic when I was little & it chewed up everything from dolls to Christmas decorations & crapped in our picnic basket. They would get inside the walls & roll nuts in the fall. Bump, bump, bump across the floor & then tap, tap,tap as they carried them up or down through the walls, then bump, bump, bump when they dropped the nut & it would start all over. I used to get so mad at them & yell & pound on the walls. Didn't make them go but I guess I got to vent my frustrations. LOL

Linda

OKAY!!! We have 65 acres and I swear we have had only 1 squirrel ever...Not sure if it is the Hawks and Owls or what.. I have even put out feed for them...I guess if they were tearin up the place I would be googlein Stew!! NOW armidillos we got some.. and yes they have a recipe..LOL I hear it is greasy ...tho!
Sorry to hear you are sick.. I hope you get better soon.. Take it slow ...That stuff is hard to recover from...

Would you believe I have had an armidillo? Now you have to realize I live in a subdivision that if the yard was much smaller it would be considered a zero lot line and I have a fenced in yard. Well anyway one night the dogs were barking at something and I couldnt get them to come in. It was dark and all I could see was the color grey. I thought they were after some cute little bunny. I was screaming at them to stop when this thing came pouncing at me it wasing until it was about a foot away that I realized it wasnt a cute little bunny. Then I started screaming, the dogs barking it was mayhem and at about 11pm. It is a wonder that the neighbors didn't call the cops. After all that the stupid thing curled up in a hole and stayed all night. That was way too much excitement for a city gal.

Mary

LOL...
I never had to worry about them till Jackson passed.. he was a Norweign Wolf Hound X Lab mix..He loved the thrill of the hunt...I would find a couple a week...No shortage of Armidillo's here...LOL NOW the lazy muts I have are all on the couch snuggled in and it is up to me to go out at 2 am and hunt the little Bastages..Those little guys are FAST!!!!I'd trade them for Squirrels anyday..

Lol, Mike. I actually like squirrels with or without the gravy, lol. I love to watch them but I just don't want him digging in my plants and stealing my bulbs. I curse my dog for doing that as well but I love her too. I saw him on the next door neighbors roof as I drove off today and went around the block and came back and sure enough he was in my yard, lol. I went by the house they tore down and guess what I found. 2 of the white lillies were popping up thru the bare dirt right next to a bull dozer, lol. I was so happy. Even though I felt like crap I went to my friends house nearby and got her shovel and when I got back the workers were back from lunch. I said excuse me I have to just grab these flower bulbs real quick and I'll be out of your hair. They just stopped and watched and said have a good day. These are staying in a pot in the garage til I can get a feeder for Red. (Thats his new name) he is the only one I have seen in the neighborhood and thank goodness no armadillos. Those things are nasty. I stopped by the organic nursery after that and she told me to put some orange oil around the beds and it might deter the critters. That crap was $17 a bottle, I hope it works. I got that and some fish emulsion and 2 bags of ladybug potting soil that doesn't have peat in it. She said that is what is attracting the fungus gnats. It was $48.99 after she have me a 20% discount for whining, lol. I got home and went out the back door and my Naughty Nick was missing from its pot! This was devil dogs doing I am sure. I wanted to strangle her. It looks like she unpotted it and carried it up the hill and left it there. Its not chewed on so I potted it back up and will hope for the best. I should have stayed home. I feel like crap again now. Going to drink a bottle of Nyquil and go to bed, lol.

We had a heavy rain and upon my arrival home, I saw a Confederate rose on its side. I knew it was not wind cause it was real pretty today. Well the dogs decided it was gopher day and dug a 30' trench right through my mite patch brugs. Oh well always plant more than you need. LOL It was the live or die area anyway.

This late season flu is the pits. I'm recovering but I threw everything but the kitchen sink at it and it still roared. I guess it was an antibiotic resistant one. It has run 4+ days. I should have called Dr. Feelgood he always has a 1 day wonder cure.

welll sorry to here you guys have the flue, I am finally up and out of bed -took six or 7 days to get over

Feel better!!