Congrats on being done with your planting Lily!
Rick, sorry to hear you lost so many bulbs to the squirrels. We've got them here too, along with the chipmunks, and the the deer here🙄!
Last year I decided to spray the areas where I planted my bulbs with Neem oil, after a set of newly planted tulips were dug up by the critters within a few days of being planted. I replaced the bulbs, sprayed the area where they were planted with the Neem oil, and they didn't get disturbed.
This year, I'm doing the same, and so far no problems. I spray the soil where the bulbs are being planted, the bulbs, the soil on top of them once they're planted, and the pine straw that they're mulched with. I also make sure not to leave any of the skins that come off of the bulbs on the ground, and I hope this method keeps working.
Today, I spent several hours outside, bundled up, and was able to plant 347 more tulips, despite our rainy weather. Only 408 tulips left to go, along with the 199 hyacinths, and my bucket of bulbs.
