The message
from John Nolan contains these words:


In article , Janet Baraclough
wrote:

Our last garden had zillions of both voles

I wonder. Have you done anything about your voles ? Ours looks as thought
they are about to take off and multiply further this year. I am sure that it
will not help our vegetables, seedlings etc.

It was a large garden surrounded by miles of moorland; so there was
nothing to be done about vole numbers :-), despite the constant efforts
of birds of prey and one of our cats. I only once had vole trouble in
the veg garden, when I'd planted leeks in a block hoping they would
shelter each other in cold winters. Voles took advantage of the cosy
shelter to eat the lot from the inside out. They could also be a
nuisance ring-barking young trees in snowy weather, but that can be
prevented by keeping long sheltering grass cleared away from trees, and
using a plastic stem protector.

I am just wondering if depth of planting could have had an effect.

Hmmmm...I was growing daffodils there for over 18 years, so there was
a wide range of bulb-depths from new ones just planted by me (deep), to
old ones which had multiplied and forced themselves up to the soil
surface, and self-seeded ones also near the surface.

Diseases and infestations such as narcissus fly can
ruin daffodil plantings;

Well, we certainly did not noaice anything except holes nearby. Does the
narcissus fly over winter I wonder.

Yes..inside bulbs, istr.You usually see signs in spring/summer, such
as streaky discoloured leaves.

Have you allowed the bulbs' leaves to die back naturally?

Janet.