We moved into our new home last year and spent many hours planting and landscaping our yard. When plants began to disappear, over night, down to ground level I went to my neighborhood garden center and had a serious conversation with the owner. He said it was voles and suggested trapping them. I did so for weeks but just wondering if anyone might suggest another method.

well did you actually get them? If you are successful in catching them, I would continue that.

Are you sure you don't have a bad case of bunnies? If the underground bits of the plants were left, roots and bulbs, but tops chewed off then you might have rabbits.

As to voles, you can't really get rid them. All you can do is learn to live with them and work around them. You can chase them away but they'll only go as far as your neighbors yard and return once you let your guard down.

I work around the voles by planting plants they don't like. With plants they do like, I surround the bulb/crown with a 'container' I fashion out of hardware cloth - chicken wire doesn't work because they can get through it.

If it's rabbits, cats and dogs can do a decent job of keeping them away or start collecting recipes for Hasenpfeffer and get a gun or trap. Gotta get up early though.