holes in tulip leaves?

by Harry
(California)

Do tulip leaves get pest holes in them like rose leaves and other leaves?

Doug says - yes they do. Lots of things will enjoy a small nip of tulip. Heck, I've even enjoyed tulips before (get it?) :-)

But it's not a problem - unless the foliage is being totally removed. The odd bite here and there is quite acceptable damage.

Will deer ravaged tulips bloom this year?

by Dawn Bauman
(northern Illinois)

eaten tulip leaves

I just discovered two-thirds of my tulip garden chewed down to the ground. The buds were not up yet, just the leaves. Will they bloom this year or are they lost? And, is there any other deer/rabbit protection besides a fence over the tulip bed?

Doug says that if the bud were eaten, you're done for this year. If they're still underneath the eaten part, they'll be up. Deer protection - fencing indeed, liquid deer fence products, big dogs, shotguns and all manner of other products right here.

Welcome to the group - my tulips are almost throwing a bud and I haven't seen our deer herd yet - but they're out there. :-)

Saving deer ravaged tulips

by Alan
(Danielson, CT)

Once again the deer have gotten a head start on me and eaten at least two-thirds of my tulip foliage. Is there any way to get growth out of the damaged plants?

Doug says that the tulip will continue to grow leaves and those leaves will elongate a little to compensate for the loss of the tops. But generally, if your garden soil is good for bulbs, they'll recover enough to feed the bulb again. You can give them a shot of organic fertilizer to give them a bit of a boost (feeding your bulbs never hurts) :-)

And good luck with the deer.

Animals eating stems, uprooting bulbs

by Kay
(Lewes, DE, USA)

How do we prevent rabbits, etc. from eating and disturbing the tulips?

Doug says with rabbits you use a fence. I'm not sure what an etc. is - never seen one of those in my garden. :-)

Uprooting bulbs is likely squirrels - here's how to control squirrels

what is eating my tulips after they bloom?

by Laurie Benedict
(Sylvan Beach, NY)

Right after my tulips bloomed something ate the flowers, not the leaves. It looked as if they were cut straight across. I'm not the only one. It happened to my mom's flowers too. Now, whatever it is, has gone after her iris's as well. What could it possibly be? I don't know if it is a rabbit, skunk, or some type of worm or bug? What can we do to stop it?

Doug says that he's not there so he has no idea. But if he were a betting man, he'd go with squirrels or rabbits or deer or any other kind of eating rodent. It isn't bugs.

What can you do to stop it - depends on what it is. :-)

Fencing, noxious sprays etc are all being tried by different gardeners to control the different pests but it's impossible for me to tell you what to use if we don't know what's causing the problem. :-)

Good luck -

something that's eating my tulip petals

by andrea
(london, ontario, canada)

Every night something has been munching on my tulip petals & hyacinthus. I have no idea what it is! But there are few remaining tulips & I have to save them.
Any idea what would be eating tulip petals at night how I can deal with it?

Doug says - I'm not there but rabbits are very high on my list for nocturnal predation. Add a few chipmunks or squirrels to the mix and you have all the culprits.

Fencing for rabbits and noxious tasting sprays for everybody else.

Good luck with them - I have exactly the same problem with my "herd" of rabbits and deer.

what might have cut the head off my tulip?

by Linda
(Massachusetts)

We have a few tulips and one of the buds seemed ready to open, but today we find no head on the stem, and the stem seems cleanly cut, not chewed. We do not see the bud anywhere on the ground. What might have happened? Thank you.

Doug says rabbits, deer, squirrels and small children armed with sticks. :-) Take your pick

what's eating my tulip leaves

by Maggie
(Aston, Pa)

Our tulip leaves are being eaten before they have a chance to fully come up.
What could be eating them, squirrel, bunny. slugs or something else and what can we do about it?
thank you,
Maggie

Doug says - Maggie, I'm not there so I can't see what's eating your tulip leaves. :-) But yes, rabbits love them (fencing) slugs will eat them (iron phosphate slug control is organic and very effective - read label to make sure product contains only this). Deer love tulip leaves (tall fencing and deer deterrents). Squirrels normally eat the buds and dig up the bulbs. Ground hogs are equally opportunity eaters (fencing and deterrents)

That's about the range of critters that consume tulips quickly and easily and each has a page here on how to control them.