Hi Kathleen, Ive had horrible problems with voles eating my bulbs, perennials and root crops since I moved here a year and a half ago. I tried all the repellents, they didn't work. Now Ive got a barn cat and he's caught tons of the voles. A friend in Finland has 6 cats and they have completely controlled his voles. I'm hoping I get potatoes this year. There are still a few around though, the wily ones that stay underground where the cat can't get them. Just talked to someone who swears by a few squirts of Dawn dishwashing liquid, then sticking a hose in the hole. . We'll see. I might just need more barn cats. ~Sarah Enumclaw, WA Zone 7a Sent from my iPhone > On Jul 16, 2017, at 16:02, Kathleen Sayce <kathleen.sayce@gmail.com> wrote: > > I’ve grown lilies for decades in my garden. This year, 3 of my oldest patches had no bulbs emerge. Last year they were all flowering, 5ft stems or more, and vigorous. > > A horticulturist friend who gardens nearby says he lost a third of his lilies to voles this past winter. So I’m curious to know how others deal with these voracious herbivores. Do those non-poisonous pellets work? Or are predators (cats, dogs), poison baits, or traps the way to keep them somewhat at bay? > > Flowering now in my garden—the very last of Pacifica Iris, surprisingly late this year, also Crinum x powellii, and the first of the Martagon lilies, In the cold frame, Habranthus robustus, and Zephyranthes La Buffa Rosa, from seeds I got through PBS, one of these from Ina Crossley (thanks, Ina!) years ago. > > Kathleen > PNW coast, zone 8 > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…