We recently bought a new place, about an acre, and we are now in the process
of making it fit for human habitation, so we haven't actually moved in yet.
BUT ... there are gopher holes everywhere! I'm afraid to plant any of my
potted plants, since they will probably just become expensive gopher chow.
My new neighbors have the charming practice of flooding the gopher holes and
letting their dogs snarf up the critters that come running out the other end
of the gopher hole ... but that's a little bloodthirsty, even for me.

So, two questions: What, if anything, can one do about gophers except
practice what I suppose we must call "barrier gardening"? And how much of a
barrier is sufficient? I read on one web site that you can run a chicken
wire fence around your garden, burying it about a foot deep, and that the
gophers won't burrow below that. Can anyone corroborate that depth? Or do
you have a better method?

And specifically, will gophers eat daffodils, bearded irises, and rose
roots? I have read that gophers leave daffodils alone. I also know that iris
roots are poisonous, so I would *think* the gophers would leave them alone.
Anyone know for sure? And what about roses? There are some roses in the
front yard left by the last owner, but maybe the gophers just haven't made
it there yet ....

Anyway, thank you very much for any advice on this topic!

- jordan