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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

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Original poster

squirrels and lawn

31 replies

anoldcharter · 03/03/2022 10:54

So I have never owned a proper garden before and never ever had any grass to look after... my dilemma is we have a garden that backs onto a wood so we get lots of wildlife and lots of squirrels to the bird feeders, I don't mind feeding whatever comes into the garden but I've noticed over the last few weeks that I have LOADS of quite big holes in the lawn where they dig and bury peanuts and then come back the same day to retrieve them.

It looks a mess TBH, and I imagine it'll take me ages to fill the holes over before I could mow the lawn - obviously, mowing isn't going to happen for a while yet, so does anyone know whether this behaviour will be year round, or short lived through winter months?? I don't want to stop putting food out but DH has (jokingly) suggested buying a gun

Cheers

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CaravanConcerns · 03/03/2022 10:59

We haveva few squirrels who come regularly. I have a very love hate relationship with them. I've bought 'squirrel proof' feeders which slow them down a bit (but don't stop them entirely). Any plastic or hard to reach feeders are somehow reached and systematically torn to bits.

All I can suggest is slowing them down and maybe feeding smaller type feeds like sunflower seeds or nigella which are less worth burying for a later date? My fussy birds only like sunflower seeds and they don't seem to get buried. Digging up my bulbs on the other hand...

Original poster

anoldcharter · 03/03/2022 11:04

oh dear, not good @CaravanConcerns luckily no bulbs have been dug up yet.

If I'm honest, I don't mind them coming, and there is always enough food out there for all of the birds etc, just wish they weren't such destructive little things! I

Maybe a bit of aeration of the lawn is just what it needs

Googling just brings up advice about how to kill them or scare them off, but I'm a big softy and couldn't do that. Plus we have 1 squirrel that visits that must have been hit by a car at some point as its back legs no longer work , so I make sure I put a stash of food on the ground for him - DH thinks I'm nuts!!!

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zafferana · 03/03/2022 11:08

If you put food out then you will have squirrels and IME they will eat almost anything, if it's just sitting there ready for them to take, because why wouldn't they? They are going to take an easy food source if it's there, particularly if it's rich and calorific like nuts, seeds, fat balls, etc. As they are classified as pests you are allowed to 'control' them, as long as you do it in a humane manner.

zafferana · 03/03/2022 11:10

Oh yeah, they also dig up bulbs. My beautiful and expensive fritillaries were apparently delicious

Original poster

anoldcharter · 03/03/2022 11:18

I realise that @zafferana and I don't want to stop them as I've already said, just wondered if others had advice re: digging up lawn? If the compromise is a hole-y lawn then I'd rather have that and keep getting the wildlife into the garden.

Note to self about bulbs, is it just in pots that they tend to dig them up? We have loads of daffs coming through and they've not bothered with them at all, do they not like daffodils and only go for the expensive stuff?? Just googled fritillaries as didn't know what they were, what a shame @zafferana, they are absolutely beautiful

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AgathaX · 03/03/2022 11:23

We have the same issue with our lawn. I find though, that once the mowing season starts the holes sort of disappear, or at least I no longer notice them.

Original poster

anoldcharter · 03/03/2022 12:02

that's good to know @AgathaX thanks!

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sleepymum50 · 03/03/2022 12:11

Same here, by the time the mowing starts it looks fine. I find it’s just a short term thing. Would moving the bird feeders around be possible.
We have at least three squirrels living in a oak tree at the top of our garden.

TulipsGarden · 03/03/2022 12:19

We have the same thing and the holes do vanish. I imagine unless your lawn is bowling green flat and kept immaculate, they'll be unnoticeable by summer.

Far more annoying is that they eat all my bulbs and dig up delicate plants! I love seeing them (also back onto woodland) but wish they would stay away from the garden. My cats aren't any use either, they just sit and watch from the patio!

Greenhillfaraway · 03/03/2022 12:21

It’s an all year round thing for us - but we do get at least a couple of new Horse Chestnut every year as they plant the conkers too! 🥴

Riddlediddle · 03/03/2022 12:25

We have loads of squirrels! This morning I've come down to my new potted violas all dug up and ruined. Ive constantly got my lawn and borders dug up with monkey nuts buried by them. They're a nightmare. We don't put food out but suspect neighbours do. I would love to know ways to keep them out of my garden!

ErrolTheDragon · 03/03/2022 12:31

@Greenhillfaraway

It’s an all year round thing for us - but we do get at least a couple of new Horse Chestnut every year as they plant the conkers too! 🥴

I get oak saplings in my pots. A few times in the past I've come across a horrible buried lump, which turned out to be the remains of fat balls - our daft neighbour used to leave whole ones out on her lawn and of course the squirrels would nab them and want to store them.

We get a squirrel who digs in our lawn at the moment but tbh I've not noticed significant holes, nothing that doesn't fill in when the lawn starts growing again.

CaravanConcerns · 03/03/2022 13:52

Yes random oak and walnut saplings come up here a lot. They have such a cheek! The boldest one comes right up to the doors and looks for me if the bird feeder has run out. It's tempting to tame him but I don't want to encourage them!

Original poster

anoldcharter · 03/03/2022 14:13

ha ha tulips definitely not bowling green standard!!!!

thanks everyone....

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Susu49 · 03/03/2022 14:17

You can protect dormant bulbs by staking chicken wire over where they're planted.

Lindy2 · 03/03/2022 14:24

They don't dig as much in the summer months when you're mowing the lawn as there is more food available.

I always think squirrel holes help arriate the lawn, which is good for the grass. The holes pretty much disappear themselves in the warmer weather. I've never filled any in. I do get the odd sunflower growing in random places due to a seed not being dug up and eaten but that doesn't bother me.

I'd rather have healthy squirrels in my garden than an immaculate lawn any day. They are lovely to watch.

A bit of mesh over any bulbs should help protect what you plant.

Original poster

anoldcharter · 03/03/2022 14:26

I agree @Lindy2

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Original poster

anoldcharter · 03/03/2022 14:27

@Susu49

You can protect dormant bulbs by staking chicken wire over where they're planted.

ah, thanks @Susu49

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wonkylegs · 03/03/2022 14:29

We have loads of squirrels and even in the 'squirrel proof' feeders they get in.
We only put out small bird feed so they don't tend to bury that but fucking conkers and acorns from the trees they bloody bury everywhere so by spring I have to remove seedling trees from all over the place.
They seem to only pick some of the bulbs in my garden, they tend to leave my pots alone as they are by the house but I've started putting other bulbs under mesh in the garden or I loose about half of all new ones - established ones don't seem to get the same treatment.
We have 1.5acres backing onto fields and lots of cute wildlife. They are all very cute but can be very destructive - bunnies are even worse than squirrels, of the 150 sunflower plants I put out last year only 20 survived the bunnies. Pheasants fairly similar to squirrels with regards to damage but noisier and less cute. Deer extremely cute but rarer to see.
Badgers we just see on the cameras and the holes they dig.
Foxes and sparrow hawks are beautiful but tend to hunt and eat the cute critters leaving entrails, fur and feathers everywhere.
We go for a slightly wild look to the garden which hides the worst of their damage and when everything is in full bloom and the lawn is mown in summer. it all looks great and you forget.

AgathaX · 03/03/2022 15:00

I do get the odd sunflower growing in random places due to a seed not being dug up and eaten but that doesn't bother me - we had the most fabulous sunflower growing in our garden a few years ago from a dropped seed. We kept the seeds from the seedhead when it was done and now we have these beatiful, huge, multihead sunflowers every year. So we were very grateful to whoever or whatever dropped that particular seed .

KosherDill · 03/03/2022 20:38

The aeration wont hurt and keeping the lawn a bit on the longer side will hide the holes.

They're funny little creatures and after all it's their world, too.

Original poster

anoldcharter · 03/03/2022 22:50

@KosherDill

The aeration wont hurt and keeping the lawn a bit on the longer side will hide the holes.

They're funny little creatures and after all it's their world, too.

Agree @KosherDill They are quite amusing, definitely happy to have them in the garden and the lawn will survive (I'm sure) 🤣

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Original poster

anoldcharter · 03/03/2022 22:52

I love the idea of random sunflowers 🌻 popping up 😁

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Teaseall · 05/03/2022 01:01

My advice would be that if you have a woodland garden, learn to live with them and appreciate them for the clever little bastards they are ... and try and limit the destruction.

Things I have learnt over the last 25 years:-

There is no such thing as a squirrel proof bird feeder. Put a plastic dome on any bird feeding pole to stop them shimmying up but be prepared to replace it every couple of years when they jump on it from a slightly overhanging twig.
place bird feeding poles further away from trees, fences or any potential launch pad than you think, they are ingenious little sods. (See above)
don't put it near a washing line either. (See above)
don't plant tulips ... although that could be the muntjac but squirrels definitely dig up and chomp crocus in pots.
the only bulbs that don't get dug up or chewed are daffodils and narcissi
protect any pot or beloved plant that's about to burst into bloom with netting or chicken wire ... it's when you think it's safe that the little bastards strike.
be prepared for oak seedlings to pop up all over your garden, including hanging baskets.
for you sanity, learn to live and appreciate them but do not allow them any chance to get into your loft via a tree branch or anything like that. That can be expensive as they like to strip the outer protective coating from electrical wiring
lastly, it's unlikely you'll have a bowling green lawn if you back onto woodland and maybe your husband is on to something

Sorry for the rant but I've been out in the garden today repairing the fun they've been having.

wonkylegs · 05/03/2022 09:18

@Teaseall yes to all but to also add they chew on all sorts
Ours stripped the plastic coating from my car aerial! They also like pipe insulation, we have to replace the stuff on our outside tap regularly.
The way they strip a pine cone is very impressive but does tend to leave us with pine cone confetti all over the driveway.

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