I’ve been reading posts about hellebores for a while now, so as the sun was shining, I thought I’d pop out to the garden to see how mine were coming along. But alas, in what is now becoming an annual event, the squirrel had got there before me.
How do I know it was a squirrel I hear you ask? Well, last year I saw a furry beast merrily munching away at these darkest of buds one morning, just as I was sitting down to munch away at my own breakfast.
I’ve got to hand it to him (her) though. He (she) does have good taste, with this particular bloom being one of my favourites too.
My helleborus niger is as yet untouched and I’m hoping (against hope!) for great things as the whole plant starts to unfurl.
On a more positive note, my Sarcococca hookeriana is blasting out the most gorgeous of winter scents, and (just about) making up for the loss of my hellebore blooms.
So, already, success and failure in 2013. Looking forward to the year ahead!
Out of my shed 
Sarcococca? BLASTING out scent? It can’t be true!!!
Dear Sarah, Sounds like you might need a new Sarcococca plant! They grow well in pots too and if positioned by the front door, will give you a very warm welcome every time you return home. Should be easy to find at this time of year at all good garden centres and whether in a pot or elsewhere in the garden, no home should be without! Nxx
I had saved my tulips from squirrels with green netting to then remove when thought danger was over due to green tips coming up, promptly dug up and chewed by annoying dog!
Hi Jessica, I do love a good display of tulips, and your growing conditions do sound challenging! I now plant my bulbs only in my front garden, where squirrel activity is minimal and maybe where dog could be kept on leash? Hope you have some lovely blooms this year?….
Hi there, try painting the buds with a strong chilli oil (homemade best) I have done this to great effect on rosebuds… hey never re-visited! yet to find a way of keeping them of the allotment strawbs though!
Thanks Deborah, sounds like a great idea and one I shall immediately put into action to save my remaining buds as I love my hellebores. I tend to net my strawberries at the allotment using my tennis ball netting support system to keep off both birds and squirrels.
Oh no – what a sad tale. Have noticed bitten off buds from my hellebores in the past but have blamed mice rather than squirrels. Whatever creature it is it’s still most annoying. I wonder what is nibbling the leaves of your plants.
The above comment is from me – had forgotten to sign out of our allotment society website 🙂 I’m not used to WordPress and forget to log out.
Hi Anna, think there’s a bit of slug damage on the leaves. I wonder if Deborah’s chilli oil will deter these creatures too!
Those are two plants I don’t have and now wish I did! Gorgeous!
Hi Karen, These are two of my all time favourite plants, and ones that are very cheering during these dull winter months.Hellebores come in many colours and are great self seeders, so once you have them, you’ll be creating your own cultivars too! And I think all gardens should have at least one sarcococca for their immense winter scent. They’re very accommodating plants (even happy in dry shade) and will provide year round structure either as a shrub or more fromal hedging. What’s not to love!
A squirrel with expensive taste. I feel your pain 😉 The much anticipated flower being eaten before you can gain any pleasure from it. My clematis flowers tend to be mauled by slugs. They crawl all the way up to the flowers bypassing plenty of leaf litter they could be chomping on, on the ground. Pests with gourmet taste. 😦
Gourmet tastes indeed! Your climbing slugs sound very frustrating (and rather acrobatic). I’m definitely going to experiment with copper strips/collars this year to try and protect flowers and veg from slug attacks and lets hope for a dryer summer too this year…..
p.s. Just read this article about imported killer slugs!That’s all we need!
Bastards!! My mum has a similar problem with tulips. She covers the bulbs in chicken wire, but the squirrels bit the flowers off just as they come into their prime. They don’t eat them – they just leave them lying around. Soooo frustrating!
Hi Veronica, Yes, that’s the frustration of it all. They’re not even eating them! Just nipping them off and scattering them about, just because they can! Have bought chilli flakes and making my chilli oil today. Might try that on top of my fences, where they merrily scurry up and down, too……
The pesky squirrels also love eating my bulbs, plants, bird feeders…you name it! I like the sound of the Sarcococca, looks cool!
Hi Anna, Sarcococcas are cool indeed. Every garden should have at least one! Stonking winter scent and year round good looks. Always a winner!
I saw a squirrel take a giant leap at one of my bird caged feeders yesterday, creating enough movement to scatter seeds on the ground. Inventive little buggers. I’ve now moved any nearby object away from the feeders, which I thought were squirrel proof already hanging from the washing line!