David, If you have voles or other critters that eat roots, I suggest you try one of these options: 1. Make a cage with the equivalent of 1/4" hardware cloth (i.e. galvanized wire mesh) that extends a half foot below grade and a half foot above grade with a hinged lid of hardware cloth. No openings larger than 1/4 " or slots larger than 1/8". 2. Plant your bed and roll out 1/2" hardware cloth over it, extending a foot past the bed in all directions and bury the edges. The flowers and foliage will grow through the hardware cloth and you only need to lift it every other summer when you thin them. 3. Make a somewhat larger cage as in 1. Using 1" or 2" hardware cloth that will securely enclose a cat. My experience may not validly extend to your situation, but the easy way to distinguish non-flowering bulbs from eaten bulbs would be the winter foliage. If they rapidly multiply but fail to flower, you have a completely different problem from me. Tim