Topic: slug-resistant cottage garden

[aquilegia]

Slugs and snails are rapidly taking over my garden! I've got slug traps, and my toddler and I regularly go on snail hunts and then get rid of them, permanently (well, I do that bit!) But still they eat everything.

I need more plants, but I want to get ones that I know won't be eaten as soon as they are planted....

Fortunately my favourites don't get eaten (aquilegias and hardy geraniums). I also have penstemons, lady's mantel, borage, foxgloves (although I weed them out if they are too close to the grass). What else will they avoid, that is hardy, low maintenance (because I just don't have the time right now!) and won't mind being on London clay? I love natural-looking plants with smallish flowers, not big blousy things (not keen on roses, camelias, peonies, hydrangas, that sort of thing). Love bee/butterfly-friendly plants. I'm happy with periennials and annuals that will self-seed. If I can grow them from seed myself, even better!

Thanks!

[Digeroo]

I have mega numbers of slugs so anything that survives must be slug proof.

Sweet William, pansy, evening primrose (perhaps too blousy), poppy also blousy but the bees adore them, osteospermum, Californian bluebell (phacelia) are all going strong.  Not sure about the London clay, there is not much around here.   Though the slugs do go for the sweet William seedlings but not the mature plants and flowers.

[small]

I have more slugs and snails than anyone in the whole world, and these still survive for me - on clay -:
phlox, francoa, crocosmia, heuchera, bergenia, japanese anemone, pulmonaria, lysimachia, macleaya - and I let red campion, ox-eye daisies and forget-me-nots self-seed in between everything....good luck!

[pigeonseed]

I'm also on clay, and love cottage gardens but can't spend much time on it!

I'd add lavender, geum, valerian, iris or flag (wild yellow iris). They are a bit blousy when in bloom, but most of the year they're not, and the leaves are a really lovely spikey shape. Jasmine. Snails live in it but don't eat it!

Fennel, marjoram, oregano, thyme. And you can eat them.
Sage and rosemary. I defy any slugs to eat rosemary! Cottony aster.

But what is slug/snail proof seems to vary - for me some of the plants listed below are immediately eaten to stumps if I plant them like ox eye daisies, poppies, lysimachia :-(

[Nora42]

I'm on London clay and my Astrantias don't get eaten by slugs crocosmia does very well as does verbena Verbena bonariensis pentsamons, cosmos once they get big enough geraniums are good too if you can get summer flowering ones I also grow perpetual sweet peas and sunflowers they do get eaten but seem to make a wonder show once established honesty and foxgloves tulips the Darwin hybrids that establish over time are all things which seem to survive the onslaught.
Nora

[Deb P]

Also have clay soil up here in Derbyshire, London Pride does well at the front of boarders, and alchemilla mollis of course is happy anywhere. Agree about Astrantias, but Japanese anenomies get slugged to death in my garden! What about ferns and clipped box as well?

[aquilegia]

Thanks for the suggestions. I need to make a (shopping) list!

I am very pleased to see Astrantias mentioned. I've fallen in love with them, via TV, although I've never seen one in real life. Where can I get some seed?

[Deb P]

I must admit I've not had much luck growing Astrantias from seed, I ended up buying small plants which bulk up reasonably quickly. The variety 'shaggy' is very nice with larger than average bracts:

http://www.plant-world-seeds.com/store/view_seed_item/198?itemname=ASTRANTIA+INVOLUCRATA+'SHAGGY'

[aquilegia]

Where did you get the plants from Deb?

[aquilegia]

Looking through the suggestions again - I love most of them. The rest I need to look up! I do like poppies actually, as they have a delicacy which takes them out of the blousy category. I did have lots of opium poppies, but I weeded out the fluffy pink ones and now there are none left! And evening primrose too, although that's partially due to its medicinal properties.

Need to go shopping now! I've been reluctant to buy plants incase they just got eaten up, so now I can buy with confidence that they will survive the slugs! 

[Deb P]

Where did you get the plants from Deb?

I think I bought mine at Gardeners World Live one year, but they should be available online somewhere I'm sure. The ordinary Astrantia major should be available at most garden centres too.

[Deb P]

Just a thought, you could try nematode a to reduce your slug population, I found it very effective on my allotment.

[aquilegia]

I did look into the nematodes, but they don't work on clay soil, which we have.

[pigeonseed]

argh don't they? I had always thought I might use them. :-(

[Deb P]

Not heard of the clay soil contraindication before, they worked well on my lottie soil which was an ex brickworks and had some areas I could have made my own pots out of the clay !

[claybasket]

Hi ,I have some hosta's in the garden that's clay ,a couple of years ago we dig a small pool we used a large plastic trug bucket we just cut of the handles ,we had loads of slugs before we did this ,but soon we saw a toad and frogs and not many slugs ,you don't need a big pond try it! 

[John85]

What is cottony aster?Is it chrysopsis gossypina?

[Silverleaf]

A frog jumped onto my foot in the garden yesterday. I think I jumped higher than it did!

[GrannieAnnie]

Did anyone mention monarda? Loved by bees and hummingbirds. We have clay and it doesn't seem to mind, spreads quickly, can make Oswego tea from it, too.
Also shasta daisy. Have you tried spraying the slugs with ammonia diluted 1:5 approximately with water. One spritz kills the young ones here and doesn't hurt the plants.