I love squirrels. Don’t get me wrong. They can be pretty cute. We’ve got a whole new spring crop of them living their best young lives in and around our back deck and their antics can be pretty entertaining. Until they get into my container plantings. Then, the love is gone.

I was perusing some of the wonderful posts recently written by fellow gardening bloggers when I came across the idea of using tulle as a squirrel deterrent. Crazy Green Thumbs writes that she’s very familiar with the challenges of growing fruit trees and uses tulle to deter rodents from climbing them. She declared in her post Where Are My Seeds that “It works!” I had to try it.

Where are my seeds?

How it works

Tulle comes in yardages and as ribbon. I found these wide ribbon options at Michaels.

Crazy Green Thumbs wrote that evidently rodents don’t like touching tulle. It worked for her. It made sense to me. Tiny, needle-sharp claws would probably get thoroughly tangled up in the fine holes of tulle and quickly engulf the paws of a rat, squirrel or chipmunk–not a good feeling (I suppose) if you’re of the rodent persuasion.

I went to one of my favourite craft supply stores, Michaels, and headed straight for the tulle ribbon aisle. If you’re needing tulle ribbon to floof (yes, it’s a word) the pews for your sister’s 80’s-themed wedding, this is where you would automatically head. There was an impressive assortment of shades. I hesitated. Bright fuchsia! Tropical blue! Who knew tulle came in so many wonderful colours. But practicality (and good taste, I may add) prevailed.

I chose classic, elegant, epic black. The black tulle of Nicole Kidman’s head-turning Balenciaga gown at this year’s Met Gala. And the tulle of the gob-smacking black bridal gown shot by legendary fashion photographer Arthur Elgort for Vogue in 1984 producing an image that would redefine glamour and turn the bridal industry on its head. That black tulle.

But in cheap-skinny-polyester-ribbon form.

And the results?

Black ribbon tulle entwined around the stems of my poor battered and half-eaten plants.

I wove lengths of the ribbon in and around the stems of the plants in my various containers. Some of the plants were barely holding on after being nibbled, bashed and half-uprooted by all manner of curious beasties.

I loved how the ribbon, being black, practically disappeared into the planting arrangements as you can see, above. The whole effect looked quite nice.

Sometimes I find the ribbon dislodged slightly but it’s easy enough to tuck back into place.

That was a week ago. Since then, I haven’t seen any evidence of digging, chewing or damage of any kind. Sometimes the ribbon will be pulled out a bit and I just go around a tuck it back in. I suppose little claws get caught and immediately shaken free which disrupts the ribbon. But I get the impression the culprit does it only once.

Black tulle after a rain storm.

And after a heavy rainfall, of which there has been many this summer in Ontario, the black tulle shimmers with raindrops as if studded with diamonds. Yves Saint Laurent would approve.

Thank you, Crazy Green Thumbs!