A rehabber’s tale: “Squirrel Watch: Empty Nest Again”
Some squirrel lovers contribute a lot more to the well-being of squirrels than Iggy and me.
Go to “Squirrel Watch: Empty Nest Again” for a touching tale and adorable photos by a rehabber.
View more photos at “Squirrel Watch: Year Two Preview.”
Squirrels, thank you for my beautiful garden
You may know squirrels as a gardener’s worst enemy.
But I thank squirrels for giving my front yard’s garden its distinctive look. Right now my garden looks good enough that one neighbor told Iggy that her friend backed up to take a second look at it.
I could have had a traditional spring bulb garden with brightly colored tulips following hardy crocuses. I could have if I didn’t have lots of bushy-tailed friends flocking to my yard to partake of the sunflower seeds, corn, and peanuts that Iggy and I provide. Planting crocus and tulip bulbs in a squirrel-frequented yard is like announcing “Squirrel party here… come and get’em!”
My garden designer gave my garden great structure with her suggestions of perennials to plant: rhododendrons, andromeda Dorothy Wyckoff, eunonymous Emerald Gaiety, fothergilla gardenii, and Knockout shrub roses.
But I wanted flowers. “What can I buy that the squirrels won’t devour?” She directed me toward small bulb flowers that squirrels don’t care for. I’ve added hyacinthoides hispanica mix, scilla bifolia rosea and armeniacum, and muscari mixtures. They shoot up in brilliant or pale blues, pinks, and white.
My crowning glory, however, comes with the daffodils. I’ve planted gobs of Van Engelen’s Narcissus Grand Collection. They’ve turned my weedy berm into a showcase.
Thank you, squirrels, for pushing me toward these beautiful bulbs!