Yesterday I came home from work and went out to my garden, as I usually do. I have many plants growing and I was checking on those as well as the peonies I grew last fall. There was one where I saw a small hole that looked to be right on the edge of it, then I saw the dirt move. I assumed it was a worm. I filled the hole and and watered, then just continued on with my night. Well, tonight I did the same went out to my garden and there was the same peony, with the same whole (but bigger) I was like wtf ...?? I noticed it moved again except this wasn't small like a worm. I ran back to the house to grab my phone to document and when I came back I saw this ... I did read that toads hibernate during winter and like loose dirt. I'm wondering if he burrowed in the ground after I planted this peony. My question is, what does this mean for the peony, the roots etc. If you look close you can see the red eyes right next to this toads hole. Do you think the toad caused damage? I'm new to peonies but not new to gardening and I've never seen this.

Wow! I guess when you planted the peony the toad took the opportunity to dig a hole in the softer ground. I would fill the hole trying not to leave any air pockets there and cover it with some pebbles or small stones to make it more difficult to dig for a toad. Replanting a peony in another spot is also an option, just make it as fast as possible. Would try to keep the toad in the garden as they eat slugs and quite beneficial. May be digging a small hole nearby and placing the toad there will help?

Regarding the damages - well, we can only speculate. Probably it did not make any substantial damage, but if the toad dug near the roots and made a hollow space near them, then there was no development of the feeding roots during the fall and winter and this will influence the overall peony development. You can evaluate if you pull them out in the fall and replant them ( if it does not grow nicely over summer ). Personally I would go on the least possible damages road at the moment.

@alexunder thank you for the response. I did fill the hole as soon as toad left. If he comes back I will do what you suggested and dig a new hole for him. For the peony I will leave it be and see what happens. Thank you.

I would just water. The toad liked soft soil because it was easy to dig. They need to hibernate below the frost line, which may be down to 50 cm, even up to a meter in colder zones. In your temperature zone, it is probably not that deep. Since the soil is so soft around the peony, watering might be enough. The soil will simply settle around the roots. It is unlikely that the little toad made any damage. I would just water well. However, I would also make sure that the toad has enough soft soil to dig beside the peony because toads cannot survive being frozen. Hopefully, there will be no more frost this year. Toads are very useful, and you might want to encourage them to stay in your garden. You can even make them a little "shelter".

Wow, that's very interesting. I have not had that happen to me. I'm glad you filled the hole. Do you have a wire basket you could invert over that spot? The dollar store might have some now as Easter is coming up. Put a rock on top of it to weigh it down. You don't want Mr. Toad to try digging where the eyes are to prepare a new hole.

They are great to have in your garden especially if you have slugs.

Thank you for your responses, I like the basket idea and think I may go that route. I will look after work today and see if the toad is still around and dig him a new hole not near my peonies lol

I didn't know toads eat slugs. Good toad!