The chipmunks have really crossed the line this time! Last year they dug up and ate just about every tulip bulb that I have planted in the last several years, and there were hundreds of them. In the spring even my species tulips (which varmints supposedly don’t like) were missing in action.
But the other day I noticed little tulip bulblets scattered under our dryer vent near a freshly-dug hole. That’s where a clump of red tulips (pictured above) has bloomed every spring for almost 30 years.
I considered these my miracle tulips. They grew in some dusty soil right next to the house. That soil probably has zero nutrients in it, and the area sits under a roof overhang and gets very little water in the spring and summer months. I’ve never watered that patch or fertilized it, but those tulips have popped up faithfully in that spot every year since we’ve lived in our house.
I covered up the hole and tamped down the soil with my foot, but the next day there was an even bigger hole and more bulblets. I fear my miracle tulips may be in the belly of a rodent. I put a heavy rock over that spot now. I hope it’s not too late.