There's nothing more discouraging than seeing your artfully planted pots dug up and left empty. If you're tired of squirrels stealing your precious bulbs and seeds then this all-natural hack is just what you need.
There are countless reasons to stop squirrels from entering your garden, but eating your freshly planted spring bulbs is probably top of the list. It is all well and good knowing when to plant spring bulbs and how, but if they're immediately being eaten by pesky pests it feels like a waste of time and money.
So what can you do? Gardening expert Sarah Raven has the perfect solution to tackle your hungry thieving squirrel problem. It might just be one of our favourite sustainable garden ideas we've seen so far this year.
Sarah Raven's bulb protection trick using rose cuttings
The last thing you want when creating your dream garden trend is annoying pests coming in and digging up all your hard work. Although pest control is the most obvious solution there are natural and less harmful ways to achieve a pest-free space.
If you participate in the rewilding trend and aim to reduce your garden waste this foolproof pest hack will have you running outside.
Sharing the hack on her Instagram, Sarah Raven says, "Want to protect precious bulbs from pesky squirrels? Rose prunings make an excellent deterrent!"
With winter approaching most plants in the garden will need a good chop to prepare for the cold weather, except for the plants that should never be deadheaded. Roses, however, are certainly on the chop list and it's the stem cuttings Sarah says are the key to keeping your bulbs safe.
Should you already know how to prune your roses then this method will be a walk in the park, and you'll already have all the tools.
Once your rose bushes are ready to be cut back, pop on some thick gardening gloves and begin cutting generous lengths of thorny stems. The gloves are very important so don't skip out on them.
The length of the stems will depend on the size of the pot or pots you're using to protect. We'd recommend cutting the stems as long as possible to begin with and then trimming once you're laying them on the top of the pots.
Sarah uses a lattice pattern to lay the cuttings on the topsoil, this way there's very little uncovered surface area for the squirrels to dig into.
If you want a little extra protection for your spring bulbs then we'd suggest layering cloche under the cuttings, this will also help protect your plants from frost in the winter.
Once you've successfully covered all your pots or flower beds, make sure you keep an eye out for any potential strong winds or larger animals that might move them. You could always tie the stems together with twine and peg them down but for pots, this shouldn't be needed.
RRP: £11.99 | Having a high-quality pair of secateurs can make a simple job all that much easier, especially when you're cutting up those sharp and thick rose bush stems.
RRP: £12.30 | These Gold Leaf RHS collections Chelsea Ladies Comfortable Leather Gardening Gloves are perfect for any job you need to tackle in your garden. With thicker palm and finger padding they're ideal for protecting your hands from rose thorns.
RRP: £38.95 | Flowers that look good enough to eat? Sign us up. These are a classic tulip mix from the Sarah Raven shop with a variety of purple and orange tulips that will liven up even the most dull garden corner. If you've not yet bought any bulbs for your pots these are a great place to start.
Several bulbs need to be planted now for you to enjoy a colourful spring bloom, all of which will benefit from being protected by pesky squirrels. If you're more of a vegetable gardener then Sarah also shared her winter vegetable planting advice which will make your edible garden thrive this season.
