Mary Sue IttnerDoug Westfall msittner@mcn.org1111 Claiborne Dr. Long Beach, CA > Dear Jane, > > Your story and Uli's about the lost Oxalis reminds me of the sad tale of a > bulb enthusiast in South Africa. She was potting up bulbs and got > distracted and didn't finish and left out the bulbs over night. The mice > found them and then decided to investigate some of the other pots which > they had not done previously. She lost some of her most favorite bulbs, > some very rare that she couldn't replace. I keep worrying that one of these > days our resident squirrel is going to realize what gourmet treats await > him/her. So far pine cones seem to be the food of choice. And the dog does > do squirrel patrol when she is out but I don't know if this is much of a > deterrent. > > Here's hoping your lost bulbs surprise you in the rock garden in the spring > and bloom. > Mary Sue, Place chicken wire over those bulbs with a covering of soil over the top so that it does not show. That is what we have to do at our place in the Sequoia Forest. It keeps out the squirres and the raccoons. The holes in the chicken wire are big enough for the leaves and the flowers to grow through. After a couple of years, the critters seem to give up. Doug