We had a mouse in the air conditioning system of our car the other day and we researched what would keep this from happening again, and apparently mice hate peppermint. There is a product called "Mouse Away" which is completely nontoxic and contains peppermint oil and spearmint oil. We're planning on giving it a try. So sorry about your roses, it's extra bad when you have only a short growing season.

Ingrid

I had a year that saw the mice in an apparent population explosion cause damage worse than ever before. They chewed all winter long on my hedge of mature cane hardy shrub roses and in the spring it took me 3 pick up truck loads to haul away the canes I had to prune out. Talk about crying the blues! It was suggested to me that mice hate the fragrance of Bounce fabric softener (just the regular/original scent) and that a sheet of this product tucked into the base of the rose just before the snow flies will protect them all winter long. I thought it was cheap insurance and in late November I made sure each rose had at least one sheet of fabric softener wedged into the canes at ground level. In spring when the snow melted there was not one single nibble on any of the roses. I know that is anecdotal evidence, but hey - it only costs a few dollars and so I continue to make it part of my fall routine. So far so good!

Wow thanks, I will try the peppermint AND the bounce. What a pain to lose your whole hedge, I'm sorry! :0(

I'm thinking I will go back to fall leaves and burlap instead of flax straw next year. The flax is so easy to shape and to clean up after because it clings together, but the seeds left inside must be like a buffet for mice.

I am also wondering if you put it down too soon? I was always taught that we had to wait for a few hard frosts to mulch, the theory was that by then all of the critters have found their winter homes elsewhere, then you could mulch.
I have moles in the summer here, they don't eat the roses, but tunnel all around the roots and the air pockets will kill the roses, so I bought a solar mole chaser, and much to my surprise, it is working..problem is i only have 1, so i have to keep moving it around to where the new tunnels are, but now that i see it's working i will get a couple more..don't know if they work for mice or not, but maybe?? Donna