Re: gophers


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> I have never tried barriers such as wire mesh.  If the gophers like the
> plant though they will root prune it and tunnel around the barrier.  This in
> some cases will divert water through their tunnels, causing uneven watering.

The gophers in my area are so bad that I am one of those people who plants
EVERYTHING in wire barriers.  No, this is not foolproof.  Gophers can still
undermine the basket, destroy roots, and divert water, but in my garden this
has been the most effective method that minimizes loss.  It is terribly
inconvenient, especially as I am a rock gardner and plant many small plants,
but I simply got tired of a 70% kill rate every year. (Usually just as the
plant is about to bloom for the first time.)
 I have often worried about planting shrubs in baskets, afraid that as the
plant grows larger, individual roots might be girdled and damaged by the
mesh.  The alternative, however, seems to be sure death.


And, as a previous gopher thread on this list can attest. I have tried
everything. (Raised retaining walls, poison, juicy-fruit gum, castor oil,
various forms of animal excrement, dogs and cats, sharp stones, kitty
litter. . .did I miss anything?) This year, buoyed by a foolish sense of
optimism and inspired by Loren's friend, I tried the vibrators again.  They
may have helped.  Gophers are still in that bed, but many of my plants are
surviving.  Then again, they are all in metal cages.

A few general notes on gardening with gophers.
Trap. Year Round.  I use the black hole traps.
Remember that they follow water.  Drip systems can act like beacons
summoning the dreaded critters to your plants.
Even if something is poisonous to them, they can still kill it by
undermining it.
Plants with multiple crowns, or plants that root as they go have the best
chance of surviving the inevitable attack.  (i.e. Geraniums, etc. )

The only plants that I have found to almost foolproof are:
Digitalis, Iris, Narcissus, Veronicas, some (but not all) salvias,
lavenders, rosemary, rockrose, Muhlenbergia. . .
There are probably a few others.  A friend swears by Euphorbias, as you
would expect, but they killed mine, so I cannot attest to them. And
likewise, some on my list may just be the result of coincidence or random
whims of fate.
I also have good luck with Geranium sanguineum.  They eat it, but it always
pops up again.  Other less roaming Geraniums are dispensed with routinely,
and don't even try erodiums without protection.

Gophers have been the single hardest thing for me to deal with in my garden,
and I have dealt with a lot.

Rebecca Lance
Who once even shot a pistol at a gopher out the kitchen window.
Sonora California
Zone 7
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