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I can't figure out why it keeps happening! We had a storm yesterday, and I came home to two downed plants (likey from the wind) that were almost ready to bloom! Last week I noticed one bunch of lilies had dropped their bulbs. I'm having a bit of an ant/sowbug/squirrel problem in the back yard, so I thought that was the cause. I put out some earth-friendly insecticide for the bugs, and kept an eye on the plants in the front (from the same original pot that I bought). Now the ones in the front are dropping bulbs! Do they need more water? Fertilizer? It's getting pretty depressing losing all the flowers just before they bloom!
Are you finding the buds on the ground or are they simply gone? If they are missing it could be either squirrels or deer eating them. The dry weather being experienced by so many this spring is causing critters to venture out of the woods seeking fresh food.
They are gone! Squirrels could be the culprits. I don't think deer would be out this way - we're too much in the city. Any suggestions for keeping the squirrels away?
You'd be surprised where you'll find deer. If you're living in a high rise then I believe you that it couldn't be them, but anywhere else I wouldn't be surprised! There's another thread on one of the other forums about missing lily buds, and the conclusion is that it was deer, apparently they find lilies to be quite a delicacy. Squirrels are pretty short, so if these lilies are normal height I don't think they could reach buds that are near the top of the plant, but deer would have no problem.
Yes deer do absolutely adore lilies ("deer candy"). And, like ecrane said, you'd be surprised where you will find them. They will sneak around at night even in subdivisions inside city limits. While hubby and I were building our house I started trying to do a little landscaping. Planted a pretty tree and surrounded it with lots of beautiful daylilies. When they were just starting to bloom, first the blooms disappeared, then they ate them all the way down to the ground! I ended up having to move them all up to the beds right around the house (now behind an electric fence, lol). I'm becoming quite knowledgable about what I can plant way out in my yard that the deer won't eat (not a whole lot of choices, lol). All of my young trees have fences around them until they get big enough that the deer can't reach the leaves. Gardening is a challenge by itself, but an even greater challenge if you have to factor in deer and other critters.
The neighbours say its chipmunks. She said she sees them nearly everyday in our front yards. I've sprayed the plants with some bitter apple I had to keep the dogs from chewing my furniture and so far, its worked!
I lost most of my lily buds this year to rotten neighbors tearing up my plants:LOL: It is very frustrating no matter how they get gone. I tried to keep calm and remember that they will be back next year and the neighbors may be gone by then:LOL:
I live in a medium to large city (Greensboro NC) and we had a family of black bears roaming in my neighborhood recently. I live in a fairly high traffic area in apartments and one of them was captured in a subdivision near my home. You never know what the wildlife is up to:)
