How to prevent deer, rabbits and other animals from eating your bulbs

Created by Garden State Bulb Support, Modified on Thu, 6 Oct, 2022 at 1:49 PM by Kinsey Harris

The best remedy for preventing animals from eating your flowers or bulbs is to plant varieties that they do not like to eat. While you can spray them with soap, pepper, or a chemical, this tends to wash off after the first rainfall and can be time consuming.

Here is a list of bulbs that deer, rabbits, and other rodents do not usually like to eat:

Daffodils
Narcissus
Hyacinths
Allium (all types)
Fritillaria
Fall Flowering Crocus
Iris (all types)
Anemones (all types)
Scilla (all types)
Snowdrops
Eranthus
Chinadoxa
Muscari Grape Hyacinths

Garden-Protecting Fences

Even planting bulbs that usually deter rodents can still be eaten if they are hungry enough. The most effective technique for deterring pests and animals is a fence around your garden. The fence should extend partly underground and not have gaps bigger than 6 inches where deer and other animals can squeeze through or crawl under to get into your yard. You should enclose the entire garden, otherwise they are smart enough to just go around the fence.