The message
from Joe McElvenney contains these words:

Hi,

The local urban foxes like to garden it seems. If I
plant anything, together with a little bone-meal for
sustenance, it gets uprooted although not damaged.

Yesterday, for the third time in 10 days, they had a
Hebe I'd just planted out of the ground and last week
removed most of the stones I'd placed round an old pear
tree to get at the dressing underneath.

Is there any humane way to put the beasties off? I can
stop using bone-meal of course but would like to hear
anyone else's views on this.

Buried bone meal is a sure way to attract foxes. Human urine, or dog
pooh, will deter them until rain dilutes it (I used them if I ever smelt
fox near the henhouse). You can also buy a fox-deterrent called
Renardine (large GC's, or hunting/shooting/fishing shops, but the lure
of the bonemeal might prove stronger :-).

Try