Have you ever had the BULBS you planted DISAPPEAR?

8 Mar '07 9:56 am

This article reminded me of the sense of bewilderment I too have felt when the bulbs I planted did not grow in the spring.
http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22164/27287/?CMP=KNC-DC_YSM_6

I planted bulbs one fall, and when I saw nothing growing in their place in the spring, I began to dig around. I never did find the bulbs and instead began to wonder if I had ever actually planted them. Does anyone else have any stories about a garden disappearance?

9 Mar '07 3:58 am

Hi Nancygardens, I am making the assumption that your name is Nancy. Please correct me if I am wrong. Welcome to the Forum! I am sure almost everyone here has at one time or another experienced the disappearing bulb act. Usually it is because of some underground critter that finds them very tasty treats that he is sure you buried just for him. Tulips and Hyacinths are the most likely bulbs to "disappear". Try good old-fashioned Daffodils. They are not attractive to small rodents and will usually come back faithfully every year in ever expanding numbers.

9 Mar '07 6:07 am

Thanks, Faith. I guess that's why Daffodils are so popular in the spring: they're the only ones that make it that far!

9 Mar '07 6:53 am

Nancy, concerning your bulbs, I have nothing more to add than Faith, except : try to create a good draining system while you plant all your bulbs! Because, otherwise, they are in great danger to rot and disappear , becoming a ....nice compost on their own...

And thank you so much for introducing to us this excellent...female website! I enjoyed immensely the....black finger story!! Stay in touch! Very Happy

12 Mar '07 1:21 pm

nancy garden ,i know just how you feel and frustrated you are but now i gave it a name it's called the "ian bug"at this house, i put in freesias and other such like bulbs ,i saw them break thru then nothing,until one day the other half was seen pulling out "weeds"ven a black boy that i was waiting to burn as that gets rid of the old skirt fronds,it went and i never knew until that day i saw him "ian" pulling out any thing that looked lik a weed of grass ,my little tuffs of edge grasses all got mowed down,now if you have a non gardener there watch them.best of luck

19 Mar '07 4:35 pm

I'm thinking of using wee bulb baskets this year. In my sandy soil I lose bulbs - I reckon they all sink down, deeper and deeper, into the centre of the - earth? I don't have bugs like Janbay, well not ones with ten fingers!

4 Apr '07 1:29 pm

This happened to me once. I planted 250 tulip, daffodil, hyacinth and crocus bulbs in my front garden. The first year they made an amazing show. The second year, about half came up. The third year, a handful appeared. I dug up the garden to find....nothing. I live in an area of northern B.C. with severe winters and a short growing season. Several other people here have experienced the same thing. I was advised to plant deeper and concentrate on hardy tulips and daffodils.

I read an article once in the National Post which explained this phenomenon. Tulips are indigenous to Turkey, which has cold winters and hot, dry summers, so they don't winter well in Canada. From now on I am going to regard them as annuals.

8 Apr '07 1:31 pm

At the urban garden I have this happen all the time usally the day after they are planted. It seems that while there is always an abundant supply of McDonalds french fries and other various food items in the trash cans for the squirles to dine on they really love the bulbs. Sometimes we will plant the bulbs in the morning and they will be digging them up in the afternoon.

I am a pretty patient fellow and I will go over and have a talk with them. They are so use to city life they just look up at you then go about the business of digging up some more bulbs. After fighting with them for a number of years I have finally given in to the fact that an intricate detailed display in the spring is going to be impossible. I have beds designed of all yellow but some how the red bulbs end up being replanted in a scattered pattern amongst all my yellows. All and all I belive sometimes the squirles are just trying to agravate me.

One thing I have noticed though is that the bulbs that do make it through the first year are not bothered the second. I belive it is just the fresh planted bulbs the attract the squirles.

I do not have the time but I do know that some of the gardners in the neighborhood do plant their bulbs in wire cages and swear by it.

At the woodland garden All I plant is daffiodols the deer would eat everything else!

11 Apr '07 6:28 pm

bulbs, we live in the country, and have found the armadillos seem to have great interest in daffodil bulb take-out. A surprise to me, as self thought they were not considered a delicacy on 'dillo menus! Our red squirrels are more interested in pecans and bois d' arc "apples," the latter a great surprise to me, as thought nothing would eat them. The squirrels start an opening, and birds will eat the seeds.

3 Aug '07 7:31 am

After reading the linked article, I had a great afternoon spent perusing the other stories on the site. Very nice! I can't wait to post my own work!

Thanks!
Liz

Have you ever had the BULBS you planted DISAPPEAR?

Have you ever had the BULBS you planted DISAPPEAR?

Disappearing bulbs

Welcome , Nancy!

missing bulbs

Hocus pocus...where did the garden go?

Hello, all! As for disappearing>

What a fabulous site!