Hi, last Spring, rabbits started to eat my tulip shoots, until I sprinkled blood meal and bone meal around my border. They did not come back. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll have to try that. It's so disheartening to see my tulips getting eaten one by one. :-(

I had this happen for years and now spray my tulips religiously with deer out. I don't get the nibbles like before.

Of course, now my issue is the bulbs are being eaten over the winter.....sigh!

SandySlopes, great idea about soaking the dish towel rather than the plants - haven't heard that before and so much nicer than spraying your food directly.

posierosie, It really worked. And you can take the spray out and refresh them, if needed.

Should I dig up the tulip bulbs whose leaves have been eaten or wait until their leaves (whatever is left of them) and then dig them up?

Bella Rosa, are you planning to move or store the bulbs? If you are moving, you can dig, but take a very good sized chunk of soil - the object is for the roots to not be touched and the plant will barely register being moved. Water in well. If you wait for the leaves to die back, it's harder to find the bulbs.

If you are planning to store the bulbs, wait as long as possible before digging to allow them to store up energy for next year.

Sandyslopes, I will definitely be trying this method this year! I just made a ramshackle tall fence for the garden so maybe the deer won't figure out how rickety it is. Turns out, I'm not a builder. :)

Posierosie, no, I'm not moving. Thank you for the advice - and Sandyslopes - thank you as well. I counted around 25 tulips coming up out of 100. The odds are not good. Bummer..

You are very welcome. Why are you digging the bulbs, then? I had mine eaten basically to the ground for two years in a row and they came back each year.

Funny enough, it was after I got the deer spray and they finally bloomed that some didn't return the next Spring. It coincided with one of the wettest Springs on record so that might have contributed.

bella, I do hope you get to see some of those tulips. If tulips come back for you, I'd let any green they still have die down naturally and hope next year they will have enough energy to try again.

So my tulips bloomed. I think it was around 30 or so. Funny thing is that now I don't think I like the color! They are the "Apricot Impression" bulbs from Home Depot. I got them half off at then end of the season. I also planted some alliums, which I love. Thanks for the advice everyone. I do plan on letting the foliage die down and then just move the to another spot in the garden come Fall.