How to stop animals from digging up flower beds

Many gardeners must contend with various animals digging in their flower beds. Creatures such as rabbits and squirrels love to eat the bulbs or simply dig up soil and they are often hard to stop. Using a combination of methods, you can implement a strategy of deterring these pests and setting up an environment where your garden is allowed to thrive.

Secure your flower bulbs in chicken wire before planting them in the ground and/or cover bigger bulbs with chicken wire on top of the ground and tack down the sides with small metal stakes. The wire has large enough openings that the plants can grow through the spaces. When larger flowers begin to sprout on top of the ground, simply remove the chicken wire by taking out the stakes and/or cutting the wire. This is one of the most effective ways of keeping out pests like chipmunks or even dogs or cats.The wire will not hurt the animal and your flowers will be left alone to grow.

Plant daffodils around your flower bed. The aroma from these plants is nauseating to many creatures like squirrels and this encourages them to go elsewhere.

Spray fox urine (available at a hardware or garden centre) on the ground and around your garden. This substance makes intruding animals such as squirrels and rabbits believe that a predator is nearby and prompts them to leave.

Drop human hair and/or dog hair in the garden. The hair alerts creatures like rabbits and cats that a potential threat is close by and stops them from returning.

Sprinkle cayenne pepper on your flower bed or on top of bulb plantings. Repeat this process on a weekly basis and immediately after rain to replenish the supply. Pepper acts as an irritant to many intruding animals, which keeps them from digging up the soil.

Build an enclosure around your flower beds to stop animals like rabbits. Use chicken wire to create a fence that is between 2 to 3 feet high and secure it in the ground by burying it at least 6 inches deep.