Chamomile pavers...now that's dedication. I can totally picture your dog rolling around blissfully while your patio slowly turns into a sad, flattened mess. 😂
Mint vertically is definitely smart—I've done something similar with basil. I got tired of chasing basil plants around the yard after every windy day, so here's what I did:
1. Grabbed an old wooden pallet (you know, the kind you see abandoned behind grocery stores).
2. Sanded it down just enough to avoid splinters—no need to get fancy.
3. Stapled landscape fabric to the back to hold the soil in place.
4. Filled it with potting mix and planted basil seedlings in the gaps.
5. Propped it up against the fence, and voilà—vertical basil garden.
Now, whenever I need fresh basil for pizza night, it's right there at eye level. Bonus: no more runaway basil plants tumbling across the patio.
One thing I learned the hard way though—if you're going vertical, make sure you water regularly. Gravity is not your friend here, and the top plants dry out faster than you'd think. I lost a few brave basil soldiers before figuring that out.
Also, speaking of pets and patios, anyone else have squirrels that think your patio furniture cushions are their personal Airbnb? I swear, every spring I find acorns stashed in the weirdest places...
"Also, speaking of pets and patios, anyone else have squirrels that think your patio furniture cushions are their personal Airbnb?"
Haha, squirrels are relentless. Last year I found an entire stash of walnuts tucked inside my grill...still not sure how they squeezed them in there. Have you tried sprinkling cayenne pepper around the cushions? Worked surprisingly well for me. Also, curious about the chamomile pavers—do they hold up okay with foot traffic, or is it mostly decorative?
Cayenne pepper sounds clever, but honestly, squirrels adapt pretty fast. I tried it once and after a week they were back like nothing happened. Maybe my squirrels are just spice enthusiasts? Anyway, I've had better luck with peppermint oil—seems like the smell genuinely annoys them. And about chamomile pavers...they're pretty but don't hold up great if you walk on them regularly. I'd stick to using them as accents rather than main pathways.
Peppermint oil never worked for me, weirdly enough. Maybe my squirrels are just minty-fresh fans, who knows... I ended up planting lavender around the patio edges—smells great, looks nice, and surprisingly, squirrels seem to steer clear. Worth a shot if oils aren't cutting it.
Lavender, huh? Never thought of that one. Peppermint oil was a total bust for me too—my squirrels practically treated it like a spa day. 😂 I wonder why lavender works better... maybe it's the stronger scent or something? Anyway, glad you found something that does the trick. Might give it a try myself next spring, plus it'd look way nicer than my current squirrel-proofing setup (aka random chicken wire everywhere).
