Spooky Good Deals
on Pumpkins & Plants 👻
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Trick or treat! 🎃 To celebrate Halloween, we've put all our fall annuals, pumpkins, gourds, and cornstalks on clearance at 75% off. Swing by and give your porch that perfect seasonal touch before the little ghosts and ghouls start knocking.
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Stop Winter Vole Damage
Before It Starts
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If you’ve spotted narrow, squiggly tunnels snaking across your lawn or found roots mysteriously chewed off your favorite plants, you’re likely seeing vole damage. These small rodents are often mixed up with moles. Although voles can use mole tunnels, their own holes are about the width of a golf ball.
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Moles feed on insects, but voles go for plants, and since they don’t hibernate, they can do major winter damage. They’re notorious for gnawing on bark, sometimes killing shrubs and trees. Moles are mostly solitary, but vole populations can explode every few years if not controlled.
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We have three species of vole in Central Illinois: Meadow, Prairie, & Woodland. No matter where you live, you've probably got these rodents for roommates.
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How to Prevent Vole Damage This Winter
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- Mulch Management: Winter mulch is an important way to protect roots from freeze‑thaw damage, but wait until cold weather to apply it. By that time, the voles will have settled in someplace else for the season. There's no rush - we always keep plenty of high quality bulk mulch in stock at StoneMarket. Remember to keep mulch away from woody plant stems by at least 2 inches.
- Physical Barriers: Surround tree trunks and vulnerable garden beds with ¼‑inch‑mesh hardware cloth. (Fruit trees are a special favorite of voles.) Bury the mesh at least 6 inches deep and extend it about 12 inches above ground to block tunneling. Remember, voles travel through snow too.
- Vole‑Resistant Bulbs: For worry‑free spring color, plant bulbs that rodents rarely touch, like daffodils, grape hyacinths, standard hyacinths, snowdrops, alliums, chionodoxa, and fritillaria. Early November is an ideal time to plant these beauties, and they're in stock at 40% off!
- Garden Clean‑Up: Move leaf piles, brush, and compost away from vulnerable garden areas.
- Lawn Care: Mow a bit closer on your final pass of the season (without scalping) to remove hiding spots, making voles more vulnerable to vigilant hawks and owls.
- Repellent: Apply castor‑oil‑based rodent repellents in targeted areas, available as hose‑end sprays or pellets. Mole and vole products are generally interchangeable in terms of effectiveness, but check to see what animals are listed on the product. We stock both Vole Scram and MoleGo in Plant Pharmacy.
- Trapping: Set ordinary mouse traps baited with peanut butter or apple slices in active vole runways or holes.
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When you think you’re harvesting potatoes, but the voles beat you to the buffet.
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These steps can go a long way toward reducing vole activity and protecting your plants over winter. If you’re seeing damage or need personalized winter care advice, please reach out! Our experts are here to help you keep your landscape healthy all year round.
Happy gardening!
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🎄Holiday Workshops
are Filling Fast!
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Celebrate the spirit of the season with our Hoerr Nursery Holiday Workshops! No matter your skill level, you’ll craft beautiful, hand‑made decorations that bring warmth and cheer to your home.
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Choose from three festive options:
Holiday Wreath Workshop: Design and decorate your own fresh, fragrant evergreen wreath to add a handcrafted touch to your front door.
Holiday Porch Pots Workshop: Create a lush porch pot filled with evergreen boughs grown right here at Hoerr Nursery. Our instructors will help you design a festive planter to welcome guests all winter.
Holiday Centerpiece Class: Craft a one‑of‑a‑kind evergreen arrangement to bring natural beauty to your holiday table.
Bring your friends, and don’t forget your gloves and clippers—although we can lend you some if you need them.
Several sessions are almost full! Reserve your spot today at hoerrnursery.com/workshops.
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