That's what I like..pictures and easy step by step instructions.

Thanks for sharing.

Good Luck

I'm sure it will work, Pam. That is what my mother did, (sort of) in N.C. where voles were rampant in her garden.

She made planter boxes and lined them with that hardware cloth you are using and it worked great for her.
She lined the sides and the bottoms, which you can do as well by cutting a circle to match the opening and
running a thin wire around the edges to pull the pieces together!!!

I think someone else plants in wire baskets she makes--isn't that, you, Angie?? Oh, wait, maybe it's Cindy!
Okay, maybe it's both of you!! :o/

Lining the sides and bottom won't work since the voles can just dig right in from the top of the soil. I put the gravel in there hoping they won't dig through that.

pam,

I did this exact method a few years back and found several things about them I didnt like. First, always be careful where you walk when you have these cages everywhere!! Ouch on the feet. Several of the hosta got rather large and the eyes starting growing outside of the rings which was okay until the vole found that eye or I decided to split or move the plant. Digging up a cage with hosta in it is very time consuming and hard not to destroy some of the plant as the eyes spread and roots becoming entangled in the cage. After dealing with voles for many years, I have found that planting hosta in pots with a good mixture of soil and fine pines seems to work the best. Pots are great for moving around, replacing one for another should some not make it through the winter, and dividing is a charm when potted. I have not found watering to be a problem. I wish you luck with whatever you choose to do. VOLES are hell on a hosta garden!
wild

Pam,
That looks good. I would just make the circle a lot bigger so they can stay in place longer.

I was planning on cutting the bottom of shrub pots (the heavy, black pots shrubs come in). The plan was to take a piece of hardware cloth and turn up the sides, then place the bottomless pot on top, plant the hosta in the pot with about 1" of the pot sticking above ground. I don't think I have the voles that enter from the top, but I was going to add crushed shells (or really sharp gravel) for good measure on top.

Thoughts? The reason for cutting the bottom off the pot is drainage and because I need to cover the pot's holes anyways. Anyone have drainage issues with potted hosta? If you just plant the pot, how do you handle the holes?

I tried to find the anti-vole cage pics referenced on other threads, but couldn't find them. Anyone have a link?

I hate voles.

Have you seen any small, quarter sized holes in the soil? That's a vole entry hole. I'll take a photo tomorrow.
I'll use large sized circles for larger plants but those in 4" pots won't need a large one yet.
Pam

bumping for pondman

bump

Well here it is 2013 - I have not lost any caged hosta to voles.
Pam

By using these hardware cloth pots you do not reduce the vole populations. They only moved elsewhere or eat other plants in the garden. I read a university study that trapping voles will also not help to reduce because voles will multiply faster as you can trap. They advised to poison large vole populations to protect gardens. I give every little hole in the ground a few poison pellets. It also helps to rake leaves off the ground so you can see vole and/or mouse holes.
Bernd

Woodthrush, nice to have updates on oldie but goodies.
Hardware cloth is a garden standby for covering the tops of containers of dormant hosta as well. Squirrels being the major problem with digging.

But I did not know they sold it cut to the 8 inch widths for gutters.
I hate using the nippers to cut the wide rolls of hardware cloth. This seems to minimize the time and hazards of cutting.

Yes, Bernd, I do keep leaves off the hosta beds too. The cages are to minimize damage, darn things can eat through a hosta bed in a couple of days. They breed so quickly that killing them in an area, just leaves an opportunity for others to take up
residence there. It is a never ending battle. And now, we have one persistent doe who keeps jumping the fence into our yard!
Pam

Add to your wespons diluted Castor Oil and a garden sprayer. Castor Beans are poisonous and it seams the little 'rats' know that and avoid the sprayed areas. So I hear.
Theresa Ann