Dear Anne:

“We have a brand new bag of gladioli bulbs given us by a friend. May I plant them in the next few weeks for blooming next summer?”

Barbara McLean, email

The big, hybrid gladioli corms aren’t reliably hardy in this climate. They’re usually planted April to mid-June to flower later in the summer.

The only way to even hope to get them through at this time is to plant them at least 5” (10cm) deep in a very well-drained, sheltered place where they can get full sun. Then, if the winter is unusually warm, a few may survive. Even so, they’re not likely to be in good shape and even less likely to flower.

If they’re fresh corms recently lifted from your friend’s garden after flowering, you might dry them off for a few days, then store them over the winter in a paper bag or in a cardboard box packed in shredded paper. Check them every month for rot or mildew. They should be planted in April.

Dear Anne:

“I have a big problem with moles digging through our lawn. How can this problem be solved?”

Raquel Barria, Coquitlam

Mole control is very difficult. They don’t like eating baits, they’re very secretive – and though the feeding tunnels are fairly shallow, the living area can be up to 18” deep.

Some people may suggest you plant Euphorbia lathyrus.

This is also called the ‘Mole Plant’ because it’s supposed to deter moles.

But if there’s something in a feeding tunnel a mole doesn’t like, it just abandons that one and uses other tunnels instead.

There are many other methods home gardeners may try: mole traps, ultrasonic devices, flooding, or placing balls soaked in peppermint oil or castor oil plus laundry detergent and red pepper oil into the tunnels.

But for every gardener that swears by these, there’s another gardener that has tried one or many and says they don’t work.

Pest control companies tend to prefer live or killing mole traps, or sometimes fumigation.

Moles love moist, rich soil – the kind that is rich in the earthworms and grubs on which they feed.

Areas which have long periods of dry soil seldom have moles.

Unfortunately, even if you can remove moles from your garden, other moles are quite likely to move in – very soon if the food supply remains good.

Sometimes there’s a nice, long break between infestations but once the food supply builds up, moles from elsewhere will open up the old tunnels and start living in them again.

If you can find a barn cat that loves hunting, the moles will have a dedicated enemy with lots of time to devote to catching and eating them. Cats seem to hear moles moving around under the soil.

Otherwise, Raquel, you might be better off doing nothing.

We’ve been living with moles for years. They’re a nuisance, but tend to vanish suddenly for no apparent reason. Then we have a few months to a year free of them before they return. The soil they churn up can be useful for potting up transplants.

But if you can’t stand having moles, a pest control company is your best bet. That way you’d get some relief for a bit.