Being terrorised by squirrels
Hello all
Looking for some advice. I live on a housing estate with lots of trees nearby and surrounding the property. Moved in last autumn and redesigning the garden which I love. Not to be dramatic but the grey squirrels are ruining my life. They dig up bulbs, chew heads off flowers (magnolia, daffodils, ranunculus). I started growing bulbs in the greenhouse until they were sprouted ( a few inches tall) then planted them out. But they still dig them up, chew the stem off , take a few bites out of the bulb then discard it. The most infuriating one was the time they dug up my peony, chewed the roots off then left it 🙃🙃
Tried all the usual strong smells (coffee grounds , cinnamon etc) which hasn't worked.
Was considering borrowing an air rifle and taking them out but there are so many round here. Also I've never shot anything in my life so aim is unlikely to be good. (P.s have no guilt about killing squirrels as they are pests and they are a threat to birds) Other options include traps but not sure if they work.
I can't only buy plants because it's too expensive and dont have that much money. My greenhouse is small and my garden is big so can't grow everything in there.
Does anyone have any advice about how to go about this ?
Thank you