Patio Wars

The Great Digs

Ferrets love to dig and they are not peculiar about where.  Indie and Penny are happy to shovel all the dirt out of any house plant or outside potted plant.  I put decorative stones in the top of the outside pots to give the plants a chance to grow undisturbed.   They dig the stones out.  It’s always a battle to see who can outwit the other.  Ferrets 1, owner 0. I put heavy rocks (with sharp edges) in the top of the pots  - works most of the time.  Ferrets 0, owner 1

When I first moved into my townhouse the patio was quite ugly, rotted spacer boards and pitted, stained concrete.  Decision made to spruce it up required digging out the rotten boards so that I could plant moss in the spaces and green up the patio. I had help every step of the way.  Indie and Penny were under foot the entire time, ecstatic when the boards were out and they could attack the dirt underneath.   Soon the dirt was spread over the entire patio, they shoveled it out as fast as I put it back.  Ferrets 1, owner 0.

Looking pretty guilty...

Fast forward:  dirt replaced, patio stained and moss planted in the spaces – lovely to look at and enjoy.  I let Indie and Penny outside to run around and play.  When I went outside to water my beautiful moss they had dug up large pieces of it and spread dirt all over the patio again.  Ferrets 1, owner 0

I spent the next few weeks sweeping the dirt back and replacing the moss.  Gradually the moss died and I had bare dirt – Indie and Penny were elated, dirt, lovely dirt to dig in.  Ferrets 1, owner 0.

Next step – much deep thought, how can I have my green spacers, how to defeat Indie and Penny?  Ah hah, a brilliant idea – artificial turf!  Turf purchased, cut into strips and used to replace the moss – beautiful patio again.  Ferrets 0, owner 1.

Over the next few weeks they dug and dug, gradually dislodging the grass in several places.  Ferrets 1, owner 0.

I put heavy pots over the places they liked to dig and gradually they gave up – the lovely green grass has been left alone for the last year or so. .  Shhhh… don’t remind them.   Ferrets 0, owner 1.