Mice and rats. Been there. You don't want poison because that is too easy to have collateral damage in more kills. These are WONDERFUL, and CHEAP! Tomcat Secure-Kill Rat Trap. I buy them for the lowest price locally at Home Despot, but feel free to shop around for your best price. They are EASY to set and EASY to empty.

Buy the cheapest pepperoni sticks you can buy at the local convenience store. GLUE a small portion of it securely into the bait cup with peanut butter, otherwise, the rodent WILL remove the pepperoni from the bait cup without triggering the trap. The trap is STRONG and most often kills the rodent, but not always. If you want to be sure to snag the thing, set up several rather close together so when it begins to flail, the others are triggered to grab it, too. It works! And, it can get wet without damaging it. But, be SURE to glue the pepperoni stick into the bait cup so he has to work to get it out so he triggers the trap. It's frustrating to feed them pepperoni and still have a set trap.

Thank you all kindly for your support. I will try the suggestions. So far overnight I caught this. A vole (short tail). I'm sure rabbits are involved too. I guess it is tough all over.

Note the cane damage above the blue tag on Tess of the d"U.

Do I prune these damaged canes off now, or if they are still green, wait till next Spring?

NOT gophers. Gophers eat the roots. (I am intimately familiar with gopher damage.)

Could might be ground squirrels.

Very likely rabbits.

We were working to preserve the few "original" roses at a historic site here. The City acquired the surrounding acreage, and bulldozed everything, and the sudden influx of displaced rabbits was nothing short of astonishing.

They are everything in sight.

A mature, 3-ft-tall 'Mutterdag' https://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=2.4400.4 that was un-touched one day completely vanished by the next day ....eaten flat to the ground. Not a visual sign it had ever existed.

But . . . POISON? No, I could never recommend that.

The poison you feed a rabbit or squirrel (or for that matter gopher) will soon spell an agonizing death to the predators who eat the rabbit. Bleeding to death internally isn't a nice way to die. No plant is worth that.

In fact, the City began poisoning the rabbits at that site, and every volunteer gardener promptly quit.

Sorry Diane but you are absolutely incorrect on this - I don't mean to be rude but rodenticide exposure affects many predators and other unintended targets, not just raptors. We cannot profess to love gardening and nature and preach "no spray, save the bees" and condone the use of rodenticides. If you are on FB go to the Raptor Education Group's page (based in Antigo, WI) and type "rodenticide" in the page's search bar. Here's a few links to info and studies that have been done:

http://bloom.bio/news/rodenticides-and-raptors

https://intobirds.com/save-our-raptors-dont-use-rodenticide/

https://vet.tufts.edu/wildlife-medicine-program/research-2/anticoagulant-rodenticides/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6395208/

https://urbanraptorconservancy.org/seattle-urban-raptors/threats-to-urban-raptors/rodenticides/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969717317072

Sorry to get on my soapbox but it's something I feel strongly about.

Sheila, I feel for you. It's such a sense of helplessness and defeat that with all our knowledge and resources we can't control these rodents with brains the size of a pea, if that big. I had destruction this week, too. Deer discovered the back gate of our deer fencing was left open and enjoyed an overnight feast. I only get 2 flushes and the roses were all budded up and ready. They didn't get them all, and they didn't find the roses in the new patio bed, so there's that, but they devoured the hydrangeas. Outsmarted by critters. They can't even have been hungry. There's lots of vegetation all around us.

I hope you catch the thing and discourage any of their friends from dining on your roses again. And, I hope Comtesse Emmeline surprises you and comes back strong.

Sheila, I had a gardening client who had MANY Wheeler's Dwarf Pittosporum in his landscaping. The mice, et. al would take refuge under the dense canopy of the plants and strip the cambium layer from the main branches, creating huge dead areas of the plants. All I had to do was grab the dead limb and yank and it broke off like a large plug. Examining the branches displayed the exact damage you're seeing. Vole, mouse, rat, all the same when it comes to this kind of damage. I'm sorry you're experiencing it. MANY have been dealing with wood rats these past several years, too. Ain't "Nature" fun? Good luck! Oh, and don't forget, those dead "bodies" are MARVELOUS fertilizer...as long as your dog won't dig it up and you don't have to worry about wild life digging up your garden for the "treats". I had MANY "interactions" with that type of "wild life" in the old Newhall garden and I made good use of each "finally useful rodent". I could walk down the beds and see which had something buried under it. There were MANY which came down from the hillsides to graze the roses.

Oh joy, Kim. At least I'm in good company. Maybe Comtesse Emmeline will get her rear in gear if she sees the end is coming at this rate. I really feel for all the gardeners dealing with all these critters. I guess it is survival of the fittest in action.

Ironically, quite often when a plant is severely attacked, it explodes into growth. I hope that's the case with yours! The growth above the stripped area will likely die back, but the cambium and foliage above the side where the cambium is still OK should keep producing food for the plant. You can, if you want to experiment, allow the plant to show you want it wants to do until it's time to do your regular pruning. It couldn't hurt anything to wait and see. Or, if you really want to experiment, you're half way there to doing an air layering of the plants. You would finish removing the cambium layer around those canes so there is no continuation of it from the crown of the plant to the upper portion of the cane above the damage, then dust the wounds with rooting hormone (liquid or powder), apply damp peat moss or potting soil and wrap it well to preserve the moisture until it roots. Make lemonade!

That is a great idea, Kim. I think I will leave canes for the moment to help the plants, unless the cane dies, but prune out next Spring. I've read here that damaged Tea rose canes are best left on the plant as they can still feed the plant even in damaged condition.

I'm debating pulling Comtesse Emmeline de Guigne out of the ground this Winter and potting it. I could do this with a couple of others like my own root Evelyn that I evidently sited in the wrong spot (sandy soil, hot, not enough sun) and Star of the Republic (too close to a tree). I could let the critters eat something else. They don't seem to eat potted roses.

They probably don't feel as secure going where your pots are as they do where these plants are planted. They are usually looking for a safe meal, probably as close to their burrow or nest as possible. Perhaps they live farther from the pots than these plants, or getting in and out of the pots isn't as secure feeling as from this bed? Definitely! As long as the plant parts are GREEN, they are feeding the plant. I don't remove anything from my roses until the plant shows me it's finished with it, or I tire of being ripped or snagged by it.

Of all the roses to attack, Emmeline de Guigne! I know how frustrating that must be!! Hope she makes it and comes back stronger.

I question the veracity of the premise (that Ingrid stands it) on which Sheila’s title is based.

If it's any comfort, 'Comtesse Emmeline de Guigne' wouldn't grow here, either.

I control rabbit damage in my back yard with a fence & gate with no space between the slats. Since they’ll try to burrow under the fence, you have to keep an eye on the fence line & block any holes with bricks or larger rocks, etc. My unfenced front yard is survival of the fittest...

P.S. I live near a canyon with hawks & owls, and have also been told to never use rodent poison, as if the hawk/owl eats the animal before it dies, it can also kill the bird. (Also dangerous for cats, for the same reason.)

Rifis, I am afraid you are right about Ingrid, or she would have posted. Maybe, I could start a facility for all of us who have gone over the edge over our travails in the garden. I'll check in before I start dynamiting gophers.

But, SHEILA! Dynamite won't kill predators!!!

Oh, Jeri, I'll be in "The Sanitorium" and they won't let me have dynamite anyway.

But, it DOES make weeding and planting easier! And, it improves drainage! LOL!

Roseseek, your photo is a beautiful sight. I know Newhall pretty well, but can't place that area. Must be hidden between the canyons. I loved the drive and always took The Old Road instead of the freeway from Northridge.

Thank you. The 14 FWY is toward the bottom of this photo. Golden Valley Parkway is to the left. The red dot is where that garden lived for the 18 years of its life. The white water tank is where the two white, round tanks are now just above and to the upper right of Golden Valley High School. When the first bushes were planted, there was no Golden Valley Parkway to the east side of the valley, nor were there any condos above the garden to the left and below. That was all empty land.

To build those condos, they had to take core samples to insure the soil was homogeneous. It wasn't. They found three ancient landslides, so the whole area was dug out to 60', the soil all mixed and then physically compacted to a 95-98 percentile so it would resemble bed rock. Very steep, tall slopes were built to lift the area up nearer Sierra Hwy and all of those were then built on it. Imagine...MANY stories of soil, compacted to nearly bed rock with TREES planted on it, with nowhere for their roots to grow but out horizontally. Nowhere for the water to penetrate IN TO it, just run off it. But, it shouldn't move in "the big one". This was taken from the same spot as the one of the garden. There were still bushes in the ground between the construction and golf course. None of them were still there by 2013, the last time I was there.

Sheila, you need to watch the old movie One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, staring Jack Nicholson, to learn how to escape from the sanatorium should they lock you up. lol

I read an article where people put up poles with platforms on them. Hawks would roost on the poles and their mere presence would be enough to disuade the rodent population from wandering about. They either decamped or stayed cowering in their nests. It had the effect of diminishing the lyme tick population, perhaps it would help safeguard the vulnerable roses as well. Wish I could remember where I saw that. But here is a link to a similar idea: https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog/files/project/pdf/ec1641.pdf

Another -- hawk perches for rodent control: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0yAqugHxSs

Castor oil is also recommended.

Thank you, monarda. We do have a lot of hawks and owls here. I have a lot of fillers and perennials I'm afraid among the roses that provide great cover for the critters. We did kill 4 voles in traps here placed after I found the damage. We also use the Gopher Hawk (Lisa & Deborah rec) and have killed 27 gophers so far in 2020. At least 2020 has been good for something.

Alana - really! That's fabulous!! I hope other people read this...I don't have any rabbit problems...but a lot of people here do.

Roseseek, my heart sank seeing the garden you left behind and what became of it. I'm sure your current garden is even more beautiful and you grow the roses you love now, but still..... It's hard to take when we discover what became of our old gardens that we poured our hearts and souls into. The smartest thing for the city to do would have been to turn that area into a park with your already established rose garden as the centerpiece.

Incredible that none of the engineers responsible for the trees planted in the compacted soil had a clue about what they were doing.

Even with your map and descriptions, I'm lost. It's been more than 20 years since i live in the foothills of Northridge. I wouldn't recognize Newhall now. It seemed to be a throwback to what early California looked like. About all I remember is the greasy spoon, The Way Station, a quaint little dress shop that always smelled like old roses, The Master's University, and somewhere on the main street where I took art lessons.

This is what I remember the area looking like. I drove that road many times.

Thank you Alana. I am going to try onion trimmings for rabbit deterrent. I need something! Up to 5 voles caught so far and I saw a gopher snake.

I hope it helps! Let us know how it works for you. I plan on trying to plant them some stuff to eat elsewhere, though I have been to busy to do it yet, I have bought some seed. If you don't get enough rain, and if they are forced the will go through the onions I think, they will, but with enough rain and vegetation elsewhere, I think is why it has worked for me, but it sure doesn't hurt to try.

Definitely not meaning to be negative, and it’s a great idea, but just a note that onions are toxic to dogs. So, use caution if you have a dog running around your yard. (I have 2 small dogs that completely run the show around here!)

Awwwww...a long haired dachsund!! :) It's so weird to see cacti growing in the yard. Cool...but different than anything around here. :)

I do have a small dog, but I don't think she likes onions. She is so busy barking at people jogging or biking outside our fence she doesn't have time for anything but being a neighborhood nuisance.

Sheila - a gopher snake is a really good thing to have around! Natural predator!

Carol - good eye! We have 2 long-haired dachshunds - the one sniffing the cactus flower is our younger dog (5 years old) - here’s a photo of our older dog (11 years old, but photo is from last summer). All the packed dirt is areas that used to be grass - in the recent drought in our area, many people (including the previous owners of our house) let the grass die off, instead of watering it. It’s not that deep if you try to dig to plant anything, so it works well for cactus & succulents, and of course for roses in pots!

Sheila - your dog sounds very spirited - in our house, that’s a dog compliment :)

I'll remember that, Cyndita. My Jackie is "spirited". Yours is adorable.

Sheila - so funny!!

Cyndita - so your daschund in 10 in that picture? She looks great!! Such a pretty dog!

Carol - thank you! And, it’s actually a he, but with his long coat it’s a common mistake - he’s used to it :)

Sheila - my younger dog is also “spirited”, and stands in solidarity with Jackie.

The resident mountain lion of Los Angeles was found dead of eating poisoned rats.

He bled to death internally.

The onion idea is a good one. Would society garlic work do you think? It deters dogs as well from wanting to use my parkway. I'm sorry the rabbits are after your plants.

Jackie - He's got his masculinity so deep down, that's he's okay with it. :)

Kitty - horrible. And there are so few mountain lions left.

Hello everyone, I checked the forum today because I was concerned about the fires and who might be in danger. I'm so glad you're safe, Sheila, and everyone else, but so sorry about the rodent problem. I'm afraid with decreasing rains and increasing heat it will all only get worse, at least in some areas. I have no garden left to speak of, it is all just a wasteland now, which is why I have not ventured here for some time; it is just too painful for me. I hope all of you stay safe, dear friends.

Ingrid - it is always good to hear from you, with or without your roses! I’m sorry that your garden has been hit so hard by the heat, but am glad that you are safe.

Thank you for checking here, Ingrid. The baking heat season is the worst. I have a lot of hope for when the rains come. I am trying to trap those voles and gophers. I'll be headed straight to hell I'm sure, but I can't stand by. You are a brave woman, and I hope to hear more from you and Cecil whatever your plants do.

Sheila...well if you're killing voles/gophers...maybe there are critters you can leave them out for to eat. :) That way the circle of life continues.

Ingrid - I really feel horrible for you and your poor garden! You are such an excellent gardener and you deserve your flower sanctuary and so do the critters who live there. What a shame about the heat and lack of rain.

Cheap big bottle of curry powder from ethnic store works well to deter rabbits and deer, except the curry is so hot that it burns foliage .. best sprinkle on soil around roses. A spice which is 10 times stinkier than curry and raw onion is Weber's Tandoori spice. Garlic powder DID NOT deter rabbits, so I need something stinkier.

It smells so bad that I had to double-bag so I don't have to suffer with its offensive odor, only $2, reeks of garlic & onion (rabbits hate it), also reeks of clove (deer hate it):

So you found something that actually works! Good job! :) Is it so stinky that it will stay even after rain...or does it need to be reapplied?

The Weber Tandoori spice is 10 times stinkier than the yellow curry, but the yellow curry is cheaper (HUGE container for $3). When I sprinkled the yellow curry on the ground, I watered it, and the ground is still stained yellow, so the spice is NOT washed away.

The most permanent solution to deter rabbits is to plant strong-smelling herbs next to the rose. My favorite is dill (easy to pull up, NOT invasive). I also have stinky garlic chives, but they are too invasive.

From Gardenguide: "Rabbits are especially repelled by catmint." But Catmint is more invasive than dill.

Plants that repel rabbits from below link: https://morningchores.com/rabbit-repellent/

Nasturtiums Garlic Onion Oregano.

Below link by Arizona Cooperative Extension has a list of plants that repel rabbits and deer. it lists ALL HERBS except basil:

https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az1237.pdf

Good advice! :)

I thought the prime suspect likely was voles, having experienced the large amount of damage they can do when I lived in more rural areas (in the woods of western MA once, during a winter with deep snow, they completely took out -- eating roots and girdling trunks up to the level of the top of the snow -- about 20' of flower border, including several shrubs, one of which was Gruss an Aachen). I am guessing you might be experiencing the apex of a vole population cycle this year, Sheila. Vole populations generally run in cycles of 3 to 4 years.

During population-peak years here in the San Francisco Bay Area, you will actually see (and hear -- they squeak as they run) large numbers of voles running around even in the middle of the day and their "runs" through the grasses will be everywhere. They become so numerous that raptors and other predators will often only partially eat their catch, leaving half-eaten vole bodies lying around. The populations of white-tailed kites, whose diet is 99% vole, also go up during those years (in one of those years, my husband and I would every evening count 75+ kites flying over our house to their communal late-summer roost just north of us). The good news for you is that your vole population may well crash to next-to-nothing next year and give you a few years' break. In the meantime, traps and snakes are good. Prime vole habitat is tall thick grass, so keeping grasses short in the vicinity to the extent possible also helps.

Catspa, that sounds exactly like what is happening. I'm seeing hawks circling overhead too. My property is the opposite of manicured so I am contributing to the problem.