Voles can harm plants over the winter months

You may want to consider cutting more perennials back in the fall if you have had problems with voles. Voles are compact rodents with stocky bodies, short legs and short tails and can be mistaken for mice.

Voles do not hibernate and are active throughout the year, mostly at dawn and dusk. Voles primarily eat the stems and leaves of various grasses, but they also consume other vegetation. They will eat the bark of trees and shrubs during the winter, which is typically the most serious damage to be of concern.

Gardens with low-lying landscaping, such as arborvitae, spreading yews, junipers and cranberry cotoneaster, have higher potential for vole activity.

Voles are the most prolific when they have abundant amounts of vegetation and cover. The damage is likely to be more severe during extended cold spells with deep snow cover. Eliminate weeds and dense ground cover around lawns to make these areas less able to support voles.

Mow lawns and other turf regularly, and cut back vegetation from the base of trees and shrubs as winter approaches in areas where there is vole activity. Also, it is a good idea to pull mulch back away from the base of trees and shrubs, and keep the snow cleared away from the base of young trees.

Reducing cover makes voles more vulnerable to predators such as hawks and owls. In general, removal of cover is very effective in preventing damage done by voles. I continue to leave perennials up in my Highland Park garden over winter from year to year without having damage from voles.

• You can continue installing brick paths and patios and sod until the ground freezes. It is also still OK to plant deciduous trees and shrubs. There is a fair amount of risk for planting evergreens at this late date - more so for large evergreen trees planted in an exposed site (sun and wind) than small, evergreen shrubs that might be positioned so to have protection against winter sun and wind.

• It is a good idea to sharpen and clean garden tools when putting them away for the season. Sharpen spades with an electric hand grinder and put the bevel on the inside edge of the spades. It is important to wear ear and eye protection for this task, as it is noisy and sparks will fly as the grinder works.

Move the grinder steadily back and forth to create the sharp edge and avoid burning the metal.

Well-maintained tools make gardening much easier. Use a pegboard on your garage walls to hang and organize tools. If your garage is unheated, it is best to store liquids in the basement.

• Have your snowblower serviced before the first measurable snowfall, when repair shops may get backed up with repair and maintenance work.

• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.