How Can I Stop The Squirrels In My Yard?

About This Episode

The Grumpy Gardener helps a reader with their squirrel dilemma. Plus, Grumpy shares your biggest gripes.

Question Of The Week

"The squirrels are eating all the new shoots from my elephants ears, as well as my succulents around the patio. What can I do to drive them away? I say this in secret, because my daughter has named one of the ringleaders with the chopped tail, Grumpy, after you. And I don't want to see her suffer." -Anthony.

Grumpy's Answer: Your daughter named a maimed squirrel after me? (laughs) That's touching, but um, let her know I have a bushy, fully functioning prehensile tail that allows me to hang upside down in trees and drop coconuts on impertinent people. No, uh, to answer your question, one solutionis to put down a rodent repellent around your plants and the other is to buy a squirrel trap thatdoes not chop off tails. Both are available at your local home and garden center.

Grumpy's Gripe Of The Week - From You!

Jessica has one to share. She says, "A landscaper that we hired had full confidence in planting drift roses in front of my home in Saint Augustine, Florida. He said, 'I had them at my previous houses, and the deer never ate them.' Well, they lasted about 12 hours. They were chewed down to the nubs by the next morning."

Grumpy's Response: It's true! They love roses. The thornier, the better. So if you don't want to spray deer repellent, you can't have roses. You can't have hydrangeas, hostas, day lilies, azaleas, rhododendrons, pansies, tulips, or impatience either. Isn't wildlife wonderful?

About Ask Grumpy

Ask Grumpy is a podcast featuring Steve Bender, also known as Southern Living’s Grumpy Gardener. For more than 20 years, Grumpy has been sharing advice on what to grow, when to plant, and how to manage just about anything in your garden. Tune in for short episodes every Wednesday and Saturday as Grumpy answers reader questions, solves seasonal conundrums, and provides need-to-know advice for gardeners with his very Grumpy sense of humor. Be sure to follow Ask Grumpy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen so you don't miss an episode.

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript does not go through our standard editorial process and may contain inaccuracies and grammatical errors.