Q: Am enjoying the mild winter so far, but have noticed that most of my crocus have been dug up with the sprouts left on the ground. I covered them with screen but something just digs under and eats the bulbs. I can understand newly planted bulbs being more vulnerable, but I have areas in the garden where crocus have been for several years without any problems until this year. Do you think it’s squirrels?
Jean Lee,Coquitlam
A: Squirrels are more likely than any other animals to attack crocus (and tulip bulbs) — but voles also dig and eat bulbs. Sometimes voles venture into mole tunnels and are hugely difficult to deter because they attack bulbs from underneath.
Squirrels can usually be thwarted by placing a sheet of wire on top of the bulbs and weighing it down with a rock or something else heavy. But once they get established, crocuses do indeed resist being dug up because they work their way down into the ground.
Vegetable mesh bags are safe places to plant new crocus bulbs inside. Cayenne pepper might be another deterrent. Last year I scattered pepper thickly within the earth all down a wide row of early pea seed. I wondered whether the cayenne would burn the pea seed but instead all the peas came up and the voles ate none.
I haven’t tried cayenne on crocus bulbs but it should work equally well.
Q: I have three blueberries in pots. They are about three to four years old now, and last summer one of them didn’t have very many berries on it — and it is the tallest about 1.2 m including the pot. When is the best time/way to prune them. They are not very bushy-looking, more tall and spindly.
Maureen Kitto, Langley
A: Blueberries are best pruned in late in late winter — so you can do it any time now. Because they’re in containers, they’ll need to be taken out every few years and their roots pruned as well as the branches.
But don’t feel you have to prune all your bushes right now. Your largest blueberry bush that had very few berries last year should be pruned, but if the other two are still doing well, you could leave them until their berry crop dwindles.
It’s best to prune out any weak straggly stems or any stems growing horizontally. Cut these weak stems down to strong, new buds. Any old, low, unproductive growth at the base of the plant should also be cut back.
It’s best to keep the centre of blueberry plants open. If your largest blueberry bush is very tall and spindly, there may not be enough space or stem to open-up the centre. But if any of your plants are quite bushy, it’s something to aim for.
I wonder how big the containers are that hold your blueberries. The bigger your containers, the bushier your blueberry plants will be and the more berries you’ll get.
Half-barrel size would be ideal.
Generally, blueberries don’t need a lot of pruning. But once they are three or four years old, it’s useful to remove one branch a year — this will stimulate the roots to keep new stems emerging.
Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions. Send them her via amarrison@shaw.ca. It helps if you can mention your city or region.
