The higher end fake grass substitutes are not cheap to install either... I'd suggest that bark mulch is the most practical, and if you lay it over compacted earth sloped to drain as if for a patio, with weed fabric on top and 3 to 5 inches of bark it should work fine. You will have the incidental bark mulch getting tracked into the house, depending on the coarseness of bark you choose. You probably will only need to top of with new every other year or so. If this mulch is in a full sun location, no need to worry about mold, unless it doesn't drain well.

Yeah, maybe I should have just beaten it to death with my shovel instead of trying to help it survive? One day it 'could' grow up to disturb my bulbs.....oh nooo! I'm not trying to lecture or point a finger at anyone, but these are my beliefs and what I base my decisions on as to how I personally try to treat animals: Proverbs 12:10 "A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast.." We are given dominion over animals. That means also that we are given responsibility. Part or responsibility is having respect for God's creation. We need to practice respect for the animals. "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless." Proverbs 31:8 I would be very sad if one day there were no possums or raccoons left in this world.

Terryr, why are you saying it? Obviously, you don't know anything about opossums. I'm sure they were dead. There is no way an opossum will "play dead" for 24 hours. A 6" baby wouldn't even know how to play dead. They don't know who or what to be afraid of. I have seen many adult opossums playing dead after they had been confronted by my dog. They will come back to life within hour and even in the presence of a human (but not a dog!!!) . Chilled babies can look dead, but you can bring them back to life if you place them in warm water,with the head up (if it's not to late and they are still alive). After 24 hours the body will become "stiff" and a little hard if it's dead. If it's soft and floppy, it could be alive. Also, a dead animal will be cold to the touch. Less than a 7" baby should be with it's mother. Without the mother they will die quickly from dehydration and from exposure (even in warm weather - they can't control there body heat at this point.) Mother-opossum's will not return for lost babies, even if she is alive. So leaving 6" babies where they were would not be a good idea. Please, check the link bellow.

From possumrehabber: "being a gardening forum, i understand the concerns of wildlife/strays destroy lawn and gardens. i want to assure you that the opossum is not only a non-threatening creature, but most beneficial. without the opossum, we would be overrun by bugs, rodents, disease caused by many creatures that litter our roads. these little wonders have earned the name of "little sanitation workers". unlike skunk, raccoon, etc- they don't dig up your yard and garden. they dont raid your veggies like the cottontails. actually they prefer the rotten fruits/veggies that drop to the ground drawing the harmful insects you work hard to prevent. they eat and are immune to black widow, brown recluses, rattlesnakes, etc. they are non-aggressive; the nasty display you witness is mostly bluff and their only line of defense (along w/ playing possum). this is not to say that if you approached one and stuck your hand in his face that he wouldn't bite; he probably would, but i'm guessing you would too. these animals are not destructive to property, pets, etc. THEY HAVE FAR LESS disease than other wildlife (including birds), and or stray unvaccinated cats/dogs (both of which cause more injuries/illness).they do not contract distemper, parvo,and rabies is EXTREMELY rare. dispite popular belief; they are very clean, are not stupid (i myself have found them smarter than dogs in many areas)." Here is a link that might be useful: Posted by: possumrehabber AL (My Page) on Wed, May 12, 04 at 8:49