Hey predfern.

That is frustrating. Could have been a lot of little creatures I suppose but do you have squirrels? I was thinking this morning about how last year everytime I planted something whether it was seeds, annuals, or a perennial of some kind at least one member of the squirrel colony would follow my footsteps and inspect my work by digging a hole much larger than you would expect from one so small.

I replaced the dirt and plant where possible and in a short amount of time they learned no, there was nothing interesting down there. I also did not spare the slingshot.

Hope this helps.

Kate

My dogs like to dig anywhere the soil is lose. Once they've dug and found nothing then they'll usually be done with the spot and won't come back.

Maybe it was something in the potting mix that came with the rose. Hopefully the creature found what it wanted and won't come back. I didn't realize that squirrels could do this kind of damage.

The squirrels are the most destructive creature in our yard. More than my cats, the occasional uninvited dog, raccoons or skunks. I have actually stopped feeding the squirrels for the most part due to their tyranny. If I feed them once in the spring they will dig for months in my garden.

Kate

It does sound like a squirrel. They suspect any freshly-dug soil contains a buried nut, that is what they're looking for. When they are troublesome in my garden, I sprinkle some cayenne powder around new stuff. That really does the trick. By the time the cayenne has worn off or washed away, the squirrels have moved on.