I have beautiful compost from my ancient (21 years and counting) compost pile. The other day as I was digging in it I pulled out a shovel ful of squirmy gray rodents! EWWWWW! Worse, much worse than worms. In fact, I adore worms. Anyway, These things quickly escaped downward. They slithered! But I caught one and shoveled it into the wheelbarrow and showed it to the dog who ran off with it. But then later I realized that they were probably moles because they were tailless and blind -- helpful and friently critters -- and if they were baby rats I don't think they'd look like that.

ICK....suddenly my worms aren't worth complaining about after that compost story DJ!!!!!

Dotsie I have a problem with bulbs in my gardens because all the moles, voles, squirrels, chipmunks, and other assorted critters dig them up in the winter for snacks! BUT I have had luck with allium and a few hyacinths. Mostly I have perennials though. I fill in around them with annuals every year.

DJ, I've never laid stones. I have a simple pathway through my garden that simply lays on top of the mulch.

I think your little critters were moles. We have them on the side of the house with the stacked wood. Once you know what they are, they're adorable.

Don't smack me, but we've never had a compost pile. I'm afraid of rodents. Several years ago we had RATS under our shed. One of our babysitters called us one day to tell us she saw a big, fat rat creeping across our lawn when she was coming home at midnight. They fled from downtown when they redesigned the gardens. Because we have dumpsters at the church, school, office buildings, etc, they came running to our neighborhood. I FREAKED! That's my excuse for not having a compost pile. To this day, we still have our home and yard treated quarterly. I don't like bugs, and I hate rats!

Dotsie
All the literature says that compost piles don't attract rats because there's no meat scraps in them. But who knows?

We drove by your garden today and were amazed at the helleborus! Everything looks really great over there.

I was just gardening this afternoon. I planted stepables. So cute!

Dotsie, I have a worm bin which is in a big plastic container in the garage. It's basically a compost heap but the worms eat the food scraps and make pest-resistant soil which is their castings. I give them coffee grounds and fruit/vegetable scraps. Almost no maintenance once it's set up.

Don't know why but all this talk about worms, rats and cute moles made me think about other inhabitants of this earth are made to live! YUK!! I thought, "but for the grace of GOD there go I." ....How fortunate we are to be humans...especially when you think of being used for someones dinner, or sprayed with bug repellent, stepped on or hunted or skinned for a belt, purse, shoes or a coat. Kind of makes all our problems shrink in comparison. Sorry, just me being maudlin today....