Critter of some sort

Luvsmyfam · ‎11-26-2019

stepped outside patio door,and discovered some critter dug up a beautiful pot of petunias.!ok,so I definitely want to replace this,but afraid this will happen again.i do have a small outdoor stand i could put plant on.my question,what is the attraction for critters to flowers?if I had ground space,I would put them there.

Eileen in Virginia · ‎08-25-2010

It might be squirrels or chipmunks burying or digging up nuts. In the past, they've dug up my petunias and thrown them out of the pots. Putting your pots a table that they can't climb onto easily might work.

CritterKeeper · ‎06-21-2010

Yep! Probably squirrels or chipmunks. The little buggers dig up flowers from the pots on the front porch to bury walnuts. Goofy little things. I'll come home to my flowers all over the steps. LOL!

maximillian · ‎03-12-2010

Yes, it sounds like chipmunks or maybe squirrels. They are just doing what Mother Nature programs them to do. Maybe place some kind of a barrier, like screening, on the dirt. That way you can still water, but they can't dig. Please don't harm the critters, just outsmart them.

Luvsmyfam · ‎11-26-2019

No will not harm,but flowers don't come free either.local hyvee sells pots of flowers for 12.99 a pop!

MoonieBaby · ‎07-19-2013

Hi @Luvsmyfam

Last summer I used citrus rinds/peels (the waste from my many tea steeped drinks and cooking adventures) and put the colorful rinds and peel waste in the pots on the dirt - not against the plant stems.

I attracted bees a plenty but my squirrel pals avoided them like it was their duty. I guess they don't like the citrus.

Yes, after a few weeks the peels got gross, so I plucked them out and replaced them with new peels (orange, lime, lemon, grapefruit) and it helped me avoid my usual sweeping up of dirt left all over the place.

Good luck and thanks for your humane outlook.

PINKdogWOOD · ‎05-13-2010

@MoonieBaby Good info about the citrus rinds. Who knew? I did not!

Yes, squirrels - if they only had a brain...a brain to remeber where they hind those nuts they then look for the minute we do spring/summer plantings. We should definitely try the citrus method but we'd need A LOT of citrus fruits to cover them all!