I hate to hear this, Ingrid. My husband traps squirrels and relocates them but I think that is illegal.

I hate to hear it too, Ingrid. I'm so sorry.

Sheila, I do think that new squirrels would take the place of the trapped ones, were I ever to do that, which I won't. I live in an environment changed by global warming and I cannot alter that. I'll continue to spray till the bottle is empty and then I'm done. We're faced with much worse things, and may someone have mercy on us.

Ingrid...that's such a deep shame. Can you at least get a small meshed greenhouse to put one or two rose bushes in?

Call me picky but if I can't have roses growing freely in the garden then I'd rather pass. However, it's the next morning now and things are no worse, and in fact Plum Perfect has two nicely opening buds. I'm here until all the roses are gone, and so I still have some hope.

Ingrid, I'll be hoping for the best for your roses, and I'm glad to hear that you're able to enjoy some blooms.

Ingrid - oh, that's good that things are no worse. Maybe they decided the taste wasn't worth the reward, and they'll tell all their friends. Yay for Plum Perfect!

Today the little varmints ate a beautiful bloom of Sweet Frances so I sprayed everything with Liquid Fence again. They also ate half of a large open bud of Plum Perfect so as before no one knows what the eventual outcome will be. I'll be content if I can see a few blooms of roses I haven't grown before such as the rugosas but only time will tell.

Oh Ingrid, I feel frustrated for your sake when I hear what the critters are doing to your garden. I wish someone could fix up a water hose that sprays every time it senses movement. It would hopefully frighten them away and water your roses at the same time.

Judi - water spray/motion detector...that's a great idea!

Ingrid - I guess you'll have to bump up your spraying schedule. Maybe you weren't spraying as often as you should. I'm really hoping that this will work. :)

Water/motion detectors are pretty expensive and some people complain they end up spraying themselves. I don't think they're all that effective with deer. I've had tried lots of deer repellents--predator urine, cat pee balls, various powders and liquid sprays, and the most effective repellent I've found, for deer, at least is Deer Out. Ingrid, give that one a last desperate try. I think it's better than Liquid Fence. I've been using it for 13 years now. Diane

Thank you all for the support and advice and, Diane, I will be ordering the Deer Out. After having seen all the photos of your uber-gorgeous roses I am very motivated and anxious to try it. Stay tuned for my report! (It will arrive May 3)

Ingrid, I think you need to get some snakes or a big green house.

Oh, I didn’t realize deer were eating your roses, Ingrid. I thought it was roof rats this time around, which is why I suggested the motion activated water spray device. Small critters don’t take very well to being sprayed with water, but I can imagine deer becoming impervious to it pretty quickly.

It's a repellent that can be used for everything. They are all quite similar. Liquid Fence depends on essence de rotten eggs as do all the popular repellents. Deer Out also contains oil of peppermint and oil of white pepper.

Good luck with Deer Out, Ingrid. I'm hoping rats and squirrels hate oil of peppermint and white pepper. They seem to like rotten eggs--at least the rats. Perhaps, oil of dead rat might be the answer. Sorry. Diane

Oh, how funny, Diane, "oil of dead rat". Where would we be without humor? Trying to grow roses in a marginal environment is such a first-world problem, but on the other hand whatever feeds our souls is really important.

There are deer in the nearby Palomar Mountains but the poor things would starve here. I often think if wolves were more prevalent the deer problem would be contained and whole ecosystems would be revived. Of course humans would have to be much more evolved to allow that.

Wolves are being reintroduced in certain areas again, Ingrid. And there’s enough threat to the little humans in these areas that parents are building safety “cages” for their children to sit in while they wait for the school bus.

Judi - seriously? Wolves aren't habituated to people enough for that, I'm thinking. I'm very surprised by that. Scary if that's the case.

I'm also surprised as they usually avoid people, but I can understand parents' fears. It's never an easy problem trying to reconcile the rights of animals and humans; usually humans win.

We had wolves re-introduced in Idaho years ago, and there was a big to-do between farmers, ranchers, and those that viewed re-introduction as a good thing. The most that happened was a few cattle were harmed, and the ranchers were rightfully fully reimbursed for their loss. Once the federal government took wolves off the endangered list, Idaho Fish and Game (not wildlife; this commission only cares about fish for fishermen and game for hunters), hired expert marksmen to go out and kill all the wolves that were considered "excess" according to them. I was quite disgusted by this move, but not surprised. For the last several years, the whole dispute has quieted down, I guess, but absolutely no kiddies were abducted by wolves while they waited for their school buses, I assure you. So the taxpayer pays to re-introduce the species. The taxpayer repays anyone whose property was harmed. The taxpayer pays to have marksmen kill the species that the taxpayer paid for. What a wretched state of affairs. Diane

Disgusting. Wolves are necessary keystone animals. I think most of them were originally given to the U.S. from Canada. Such a shame to think of them being shot.

Such a funny scene this morning. A ground squirrel insouciantly climbed to the very top of Wild Edric, not fazed by all the spines along the way, and proceeded to eat one of the blooms. I went outside to scare it, and it was back up WE as soon as I closed the door. Went outside again and it proceeded to practically sit on my foot, tried to get into the door and then took a good sniff at my bottle of Deer Off. I cut off all the rain-soaked blooms and left the little guy to dine. Naturally it then ignored the conveniently situated blooms and trundled off to who knows where. Nature is much stronger than I am.. I think it might be one of the five baby squirrels from last year who were born nearby, so no fear of me (or of Wild Edric!)

The little devils!

That is adorable!(Sorry) I thought they were statues. Just like Elvis said looks like an Angel but they truly are the devil in disguise.

I'm of two minds about them; they're doing what they have to but I'd dearly like some roses. I'm spraying Deer Off religiously and hoping and praying the little guys will at least allow me to have a few roses. The roses on the ground didn't go to waste; someone has now gobbled them up. Plus, I cut off what was left of the Wild Edric blooms and buds that showed color and they are now gracing my living room.

I paraded my little bouquet around the living room - it is so fragrant!

Tang horse with female rider circa 800 AD

How wonderful your roses and treasures.

Thank you, dear Sheila. For many years before the roses my passion was collecting 18th and 19th century Chinese porcelain (plus a few Tang pieces), and even though I no longer collect they are my cherished friends and I would not want to live without them.

Ingrid - you have some roses!!! :) :) As long as your expectations aren't to have huge masses of roses, this could work. Getting a few blooms is better than getting none. :) :) Those are delightfully beautiful blooms!! I love them!! I especially love the Tang horse!!

I couldn't agree more, rosecanadian, I would be so delighted to have just a few bushes with a few blooms. To be honest, I'd be ecstatic, and I'm actually hopeful that it will come to pass.

I'm sure that will be manageable. :) :) You've got this.

It appears that the ground squirrels have realized that they're not deer as the Deer Off doesn't seem to be wholly successful. However, all is not lost and if I can get some of the roses to full blooming season that's good enough for me. Aloha, Plum Perfect, Sweet Frances, Cole's Settlement and Spice, along with Wild Edric, are holding up while Xenna, Marie Pavie and others have only a few leaves to their names so it's definitely a mixed bag. The rugosas are limping along, only a few tiny leaves appearing by now. However, it's finally sunny so that should help.

@Ingrid_vc zone 9b, San Diego Co. inland

I read your story and I can feel your frustration, it is terrible! I am surprised because we have some rodents around here too - squirrels chipmonks, etc - but they never seem to get to the roses. It is the deer that is causing all the devastation but the deer repellent by Bobbex fixed the problem for me this year.

I just keep a sprayer handy at the exit of the garage and grab it in the evening and spray. Last year I barely got any blooms form the roses in the ground, but this year with spraying - it worked.

Now I am trying to make my own concentrate since that one is kind if pricey.

I wish they could come up with something similar to keep your small rodents away.

Maybe it will get better when the roses are tall enough and they can't reach the blooms?

Alas, Artist, as I saw the other day, the ground squirrels had no problem clambering to the very top of Wild Edric, who is all of six feet tall and as spiny as all getout. It's encouraging that spraying worked for you, and I'll definitely keep on with it too.

Ingrid - it's good to hear that some of your roses aren't as palatable to the squirrels as others are. Next year, you may want to buy more of the varieties that are doing well and get rid of the ones that aren't. Or not. lol I found this: Squirrels dislike the smell of castor oil. Mix ¼ castor oil with two tablespoons of dishwashing liquid into water and spray it around your yard where you have noticed ground squirrel activity. If this works, it would be cheaper. You could do an experiment. Spray one part of the garden with Deer Off, another with castor oil and another one with coffee or peppermint (also ones that they don't like). They also said you could spray with one for a while and then if they get used to that, spray with something else. As long as you get some blooms, you'll be happy. :) :)

Artist - that's really good to hear. :) :)

Ah, this thread is not so new now, but I'm still chugging along, with some successes and some failures, but at least I'm still in the game, which is very gratifying.

I'd say that at this point out of eighteen roses there are eight that most likely will go on, with a few maybes, and two hybrid rugosas that are as dead as a door nail, plus one barely limping along, and a few non-rugosas that are also still deciding whether they want to be dying swans or something a little more positive. I didn't have good soil to begin with and even with amending it's not primo, so I never thought all the roses would pull through and I consider myself fortunate to have eight to ten that might still be with me by next year. Yay me!

Ingrid,

Count every success an extraordinary accomplishment going by the extraordinary challenges you and your roses face. Know also, how inspirational you are to so many of us who don't face the extreme obstacles you do, as well as to those of us who face equally formidable challenges. You bless our souls deeply!

God gives us challenges to see what we do about them. I consider you a front line soldier. You face the enemy head on and fight like a honey badger to succeed. Keep up the good work. We are depending on you to keep blessing us.

With the greatest admiration....

Moses.

Ingrid -- I'm so glad to hear you are enjoying success in your garden despite the obstacles. Someone with your determination deserves to reap joy from their rose garden!

Ingrid - YAY!!!!!!! That's a HUGE win!!! What was the major thing you did to discourage the varmints? Was it the Deer Out? Dying swans, lol. I have a few of those. Some of my roses from last year are still only 6 inches tall. But, we persevere. :) :) Do you have plants beside roses? What I've done to amend my soil (on glacial till) is I use a plant shredder to mince up my plant stalks/leaves at the end of the season. Then the worms pull them down and they enrich the soil for me. My perennial garden is really doing well, and I never fertilize the plants. You could try that. But, maybe in your zone, you don't have a stop to your plants? They don't have a down time where you cut them back? Or...you could get a vermiculture system. I love doing that. What are the names of the roses that will make it? What are the ones that won't? I'm so very happy for you, Ingrid!!

Moses...a honey badger! Those are pretty fierce guys. :)

Blessings to everyone.

Moses, how I wish I had the energy of a honey badger; most days it's more like a limp dishrag. Still, roses are so important to me that I give it all I have and fortunately it's not in vain.

Rose canadian, yes it seems to be the Deer Out that's keeping the little darlings away (thank you, Diane). There is still some damage, but it's not overwhelming. I have trees and shrubs besides the roses and those have also been attacked, for instance my crape myrtles and even oleanders, which are a deadly poison to every living thing except, you guessed it, ground squirrels.

The roses doing best are Aloha, Sweet Frances, Cole's Settlement, Wild Edric and Mme. Franziska Krueger, all of which were the largest of the bunch when they arrived, and that might have helped. Therese Bugnet, Sarah Van Fleet and two other hybrid rugosas are pretty well deceased, but I was surprised to see that two of these had very dry soil so who knows how much of it is my error. Even in my zone the roses do take a rest in the winter months but I don't usually chop my roses back severely, and of course these are all youngsters.

Ingrid - I'm glad you didn't give up. It would have been understandable, but now you have rose success, and much more happiness. :) :) Good that the Deer Out is working. What a relief!! Wow...ground squirrels can even eat poisonous plants. The rotters! I hmf'd your roses that are doing well. I couldn't find Mme. Franziska Krueger. Wild Edric is an amazing looking rose!! Sounds like you have room for more roses! :) :) Not too many, as spraying is probably onerous.

So sorry, it's Mlle. not Mme. Franziska. It's a tea rose I've had before, very beautiful but a tad finicky for some. I've never sprayed my roses as I'm lucky with my climate. If a rose doesn't thrive without spraying I don't continue with it, but then again I don't have the weather challenges that many of you face. Wild Edric is no longer available in the US as Austin has decided it's "not suitable" for the conditions here. Pretty funny, that.

Ingrid...oooh...it's a lovely roses that gets a lot of roses for some people. Wonderful. Wild Edric...I'm glad that it works for you...what a beauty!

I amuse myself most days by counting the buds on Wild Eric, and I've gone from two to a high of thirty-four, and there have never been none thanks to my benign climate (and also climate change where we've gone from winter nighttime temperatures of the low forties, and sometimes freezing to now generally the mid-fifties. It's crazy scary but the roses at least don't mind.)

Except for Wild Edric and Sweet Frances there are no other blooms but hopeful buds on Aloha and two very tiny ones on Grandmother's Hat. The latter has put out a few leaves on its one skinny stalk, and I so wish that this one rose that I long for the most had been a better specimen.

All we can do from this distance is cheer you on and celebrate your successes in the ongoing battle with the ground squirrels. It's so lovely that you have blooms to count and I know Wild Edric is one of your favorites. Here's to proving Austin Roses wrong (as if that's hard) in loving a rose that's "not suitable for conditions" where it actually thrives.

Take the joy in the roses you have and be kind to yourself for the roses that fail, often for factors outside your control.

Cynthia

What a lovely comment, Cynthia. Due to my weakness I can do very little, and today even that little was too much for me, and so I'm grateful to the roses that try hard for me in spite of so little care. That is such a lovable trait, and I think of them almost as pets in their willingness to please me. One thing I want to do every day from now on as it becomes warmer is to water the roses every day. I'll be curious to see whether the roses appreciate that and whether it will cause them to grow more quickly. A little more fertilizer probably wouldn't hurt and my husband can help with that.

Ingrid - isn't that the way, lol. The rose you wanted most came as the worst plant. Yup. I guess it's such a good rose that everyone wants one, so they don't have much stock and send out subpar specimens. But it'll come through and give you blooms. Wow...Wild Eric does well for you!! That must be very gratifying after all the problems you've had. :) :) I love hopeful buds, they're full of delightful expectations. Yes, the roses do seem to be like pets trying to please us. Well put. :)

rosecanadian, I hadn't thought of that in regard to GR but you're probably right. I'd rather have this one than none at all, no matter how much I have to baby it along. It does have two small buds and I'm darned if I'm going to snip them off even if it does help the plant to grow more quickly. I'm all for instant gratification and tomorrow is not guaranteed.

I'm all for instant gratification, too. I would never snip off buds. That's when the rose can rest, IMHO. It takes a lot less energy to let the buds unfold than to have to grow whole new leaves/buds.

I gladly accept your reasoning, rosecanadian, as I know others do who know an awful lot about roses. And, I'll enjoy every single day from small bud to gorgeous, full-blown flower.

Ingrid...thanks!! :):) Yes, enjoy them. I'm really happy you have roses in your life again.