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Apr 28, 2012 10:09 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: shirlee
southeast (Zone 6b)
Daylilies Hybridizer Seed Starter Pollen collector Garden Photography Garden Ideas: Level 1
Butterflies Birds Dragonflies Canning and food preservation Herbs Vegetable Grower
One more photo of rhododendrens, and then
I'll quit on these plants. These are huge, you may want to
enlarge to see.

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Last edited by mistyfog Apr 28, 2012 10:11 PM Icon for preview
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Apr 28, 2012 10:24 PM CST
Name: Debra
Garland, TX (NE Dallas suburb) (Zone 8a)
Rescue dogs: Angels with paws needi
Dragonflies Dog Lover Bookworm I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Photography Bee Lover
Plays in the sandbox Butterflies Region: Texas Garden Sages I sent a postcard to Randy! Charter ATP Member
beautiful Lovey dubby
It’s okay to not know all the answers.
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Apr 29, 2012 9:11 AM CST
Name: Margaret
Near Kamloops, BC, Canada (Zone 3a)
Region: Canadian Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Tip Photographer Garden Ideas: Master Level I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member
Morning Glories Critters Allowed Birds Houseplants Butterflies Garden Photography
Just gorgeous!! Lovey dubby
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Apr 29, 2012 12:25 PM CST
Name: Ann
TN
Butterflies I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Daylilies Hummingbirder Ponds
Awesome! You have the climate to grow them where you are and they surely do look like happy plants. They don't grow that well in Middle TN. Wish they did.
Ann (farmerbell); TN
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Apr 29, 2012 12:47 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: shirlee
southeast (Zone 6b)
Daylilies Hybridizer Seed Starter Pollen collector Garden Photography Garden Ideas: Level 1
Butterflies Birds Dragonflies Canning and food preservation Herbs Vegetable Grower
Debra and Margaret, glad you enjoyed them.

Ann, I see these plants growing all around the area, but I had to move these
I don't remember how many times to find their happy spot. Such is the
case with many types of plants here. Must be the differences in the soil,
or maybe microclimates.
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Apr 29, 2012 4:42 PM CST
Name: Mona
Guntown, Ms (Zone 7b)
I love nature & everything outdoors
Daylilies Dog Lover
I was at a local owned nursery last week. Overheard the owner talking to a lady about voles. They were destroying her huge hosta beds that she had since 2001. I can only imagine how beautiful the beds were. Well, he told her that she could try the bottled stuff, but the only thing he had found that worked was putting plants in big pots and burying them down in the ground leaving only the edge of the pot out. I had counter sunk some daylily pots a few years ago and the crazy voles went in through the holes in the pots and ate the daylilies. He asked how deep were the pots and I said only about 3 inches. Not deep enough to keep the voles out. If the pots are deep about 5", he said they would not go this deep. They usually run only at surface level down to about 3". They used the black pots like I have. I would think the wicked things could eat through plastic but he said so far they had not.

Maybe a thought for lilies. I've been really wanting some llilies but I too had a bed with about 20 beautiful lilies ate, nothing left, by voles. So, if I do get some new lilies, I'll try the pot thing.

I've been told that roddies don't like our climate in NE MS either, so I've never planted any. They sure are pretty!!!
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Apr 29, 2012 5:38 PM CST
Name: Margaret
Near Kamloops, BC, Canada (Zone 3a)
Region: Canadian Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Tip Photographer Garden Ideas: Master Level I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member
Morning Glories Critters Allowed Birds Houseplants Butterflies Garden Photography
Mona maybe he was talking about Moles, people always get the two confused, Moles dig underground which can disturb plants, they do not usually eat plants, they eat grubs and worms.Voles are very good at climbing and those little buggers can dig down several inches to get at the roots of many plants, I know from personal experience, the best way to stop them is with mouse traps.

This is a Vole, it is a little bigger than a mouse and it has a shorter tail, they are not shy and will come out during the day. I actually saw the one that did this to my plant this past fall, they ate my lily bulbs, then I got mad and got a bunch of traps.
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Apr 29, 2012 5:40 PM CST
Name: Debra
Garland, TX (NE Dallas suburb) (Zone 8a)
Rescue dogs: Angels with paws needi
Dragonflies Dog Lover Bookworm I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Photography Bee Lover
Plays in the sandbox Butterflies Region: Texas Garden Sages I sent a postcard to Randy! Charter ATP Member
Guess I shouldn't complain about having fire ants. Sticking tongue out Blinking Rolling on the floor laughing
It’s okay to not know all the answers.
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Apr 29, 2012 5:41 PM CST
Name: Rita
North Shore, Long Island, NY
Zone 6B
Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Tomato Heads I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Vegetable Grower Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Birds Garden Ideas: Master Level Butterflies Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Roses Photo Contest Winner: 2016
Did the traps work? I have shrews here myself but they don't bother anything.
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Apr 29, 2012 6:14 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: shirlee
southeast (Zone 6b)
Daylilies Hybridizer Seed Starter Pollen collector Garden Photography Garden Ideas: Level 1
Butterflies Birds Dragonflies Canning and food preservation Herbs Vegetable Grower
The voles ate only the largest lily bulbs, so I potted up the small ones,
and have kept them that way. Placed pots in unheated garage
during winter. Some bloomed last year. Have a clump of them
in a protected place that the voles haven't found yet. Will try
the mouse traps if they do find them.

The moles are another matter all together. We have tried
everything we can think of. Just outside today looking at all
the tunnels in most beds. Aggravating things they are. Their
tunnels are all around the seedings beds recently planted.
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Apr 29, 2012 8:10 PM CST
Name: Margaret
Near Kamloops, BC, Canada (Zone 3a)
Region: Canadian Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Tip Photographer Garden Ideas: Master Level I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member
Morning Glories Critters Allowed Birds Houseplants Butterflies Garden Photography
There are special traps for the Moles that is set in the tunnels. I got a bunch of new type mouse traps that look like a little guillotine, really easy to use, it has a bait box, I used peanut butter and put it near the plants they were eating, I probably caught about 30 in one month.
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Apr 29, 2012 8:27 PM CST
Name: Rita
North Shore, Long Island, NY
Zone 6B
Charter ATP Member Seed Starter Tomato Heads I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Vegetable Grower Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Birds Garden Ideas: Master Level Butterflies Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Roses Photo Contest Winner: 2016
Thumbs up
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Apr 29, 2012 9:15 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: shirlee
southeast (Zone 6b)
Daylilies Hybridizer Seed Starter Pollen collector Garden Photography Garden Ideas: Level 1
Butterflies Birds Dragonflies Canning and food preservation Herbs Vegetable Grower
Margaret, tell me more about the traps for the moles.
Do you know the brand name for them?

We tried one kind of trap that when tripped brings down
a metal thingie, but there was no bait box. Didn't work.
I'll try smearing peanut butter on the trap itself and see
what happens.
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Apr 29, 2012 9:58 PM CST
Name: Mona
Guntown, Ms (Zone 7b)
I love nature & everything outdoors
Daylilies Dog Lover
My DH uses peanut butter on mouse traps in the Fall when we are invaded by mice. It works really well for mice. Don't know about outside, but I can't think of a reason it shouldn't work. Just be sure no tame animal can get to the traps because I know my dog likes PB also.

No, he was talking about Voles because he went to the effort to explain the difference in the two. I learned the difference several years ago when my beloved Munchkin(fur ball with an attitude) presented me a Vole in my lap in the living room one night about 10pm when DH let hime inside and didn't notice that he had me a present!! OH, did I say, the vole was alive, not well, but alive!!!! I promptly swapped the thing across the room when I jumped up and then Munchkin finished killing it. I took a good look and something that I noticed were the very long top front teeth. Moles do not have this. They aren't made to eat plant bulbs. I understand that moles love grub worms and if you get rid of the grubs, you will also lose the moles.

I have a big problem with anything that kills the grubs because it usually will kill worms and I love worms.
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Apr 29, 2012 9:58 PM CST
Name: Ann
TN
Butterflies I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Daylilies Hummingbirder Ponds
I tried the mouse traps for voles once and caught a bird. Never again. I am overrun with both voles and moles this year. When I see the runs that voles are using, I put mouse bait in pellet form in their holes and runs and then cover it so that birds and dogs, etc. won't see it. Pretty soon e activity stops in that area. Persistence is the key. I talked to someone in the exterminating field because I was concerned about using poisons in the soil. He assured me they break down over a few weeks and don't harm the soil. I still don't want to use it anywhere near my veggie garden.
Ann (farmerbell); TN
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Apr 29, 2012 10:13 PM CST
Name: Margaret
Near Kamloops, BC, Canada (Zone 3a)
Region: Canadian Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Tip Photographer Garden Ideas: Master Level I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member
Morning Glories Critters Allowed Birds Houseplants Butterflies Garden Photography
I have never used the Mole traps. Just mouse traps for the Voles, the name is Victor, they are great, so easy to bait and set. I just tried to Google and could not find them, Shrug! tomorrow I will take a photo of the ones I have and post it. I got them at Canadian Tire, which I am sure you do not have there. Hilarious!
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Apr 30, 2012 7:51 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: shirlee
southeast (Zone 6b)
Daylilies Hybridizer Seed Starter Pollen collector Garden Photography Garden Ideas: Level 1
Butterflies Birds Dragonflies Canning and food preservation Herbs Vegetable Grower
Many thanks Margaret, Mona, and Ann for all your suggestions
and experiences. I'm ready to try all of them all over again. Maybe
something will work.

Margaret, we probably don't have Canadian Tire, but if I see a pic,
we can possibly make a similar apparatus. Hubby is very good with
that sort of thing.

Mona, we even tried the grub killer as the last resort. Didn't want to
do that, but it didn't make any difference. We have more moles than
ever, and I noticed while digging in soil, we have plenty of earthworms,
just as usual.

Ann, the mouse bait is what we have been doing recently. Need to
be more persistent. I also was concerned about putting chemicals in
the soil. Good to know what you found out about that. Our veggie
garden is far away from flowering plants. It is the only organic food
that I can be certain of, and why we grow our own. I continue to can beans
and tomatoes, also freeze some veggies, and dry fruits and herbs, and make
jams.
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Apr 30, 2012 9:34 AM CST
Name: Leslie Mauck
Chapin, SC (Zone 7b)
Birds Plant and/or Seed Trader Region: South Carolina Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge) Pollen collector Hummingbirder
Hostas Daylilies Container Gardener Cat Lover Butterflies Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge)
Shirlee, your gardens are just gorgeous! Wow. What a good job you've done. Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!

My kitties bring moles/voles in on a regular basis, usually alive. Yesterday I heard the "Mom, I've got a present" mew and was able to catch it before it got lost in the house. I still haven't found the bird who's feathers were left all over the house Friday. Thumbs down I hate it when they get birds.
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Apr 30, 2012 9:37 AM CST
Name: Margaret
Near Kamloops, BC, Canada (Zone 3a)
Region: Canadian Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Tip Photographer Garden Ideas: Master Level I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member
Morning Glories Critters Allowed Birds Houseplants Butterflies Garden Photography
Mona try Home Depot, they have all kinds of traps.

I haven't caught any birds in this type trap, just mice, voles and shrews. With the usual mouse trap I did catch one, then I got a 1 gal black plastic pot, cut a small mouse size hole out of the top and turned it upside down over the trap, but those traps are so hard to set I got rid of them.
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Apr 30, 2012 3:48 PM CST
Name: Margaret
Near Kamloops, BC, Canada (Zone 3a)
Region: Canadian Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Tip Photographer Garden Ideas: Master Level I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member
Morning Glories Critters Allowed Birds Houseplants Butterflies Garden Photography
This is the best mouse trap that I have ever used. Caught a vole overnight that had squeezed through a crack under the shed door. Any time your cat or dog catches one of these critters watch for fleas, I have seen fleas on every single one that went to the great beyond from these traps.

Brand name "Victor" inlarge photo to see detail. Put peanut butter in bait box, pull handle up and the trap is set, when the vole or mouse lifts the bait box it sets the trap off, I have 6 of them.

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