The war on slugs

How small?

 

Marigold size.

 

Assume you mean French so about six inches in old money

 

Do you like these?

• Erigeron karvinskianus
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    The RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) helps gardeners choose the best plants for their garden.
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  RHS Plants for Pollinators plants
  • This plant will provide nectar and pollen for bees and the many other types of pollinating insects.
    
    
    

 

You could try thyme if the situation is suitable. They don't touch pulmonaria but you only get flowers in the spring. The leaves can be quite attractive, though.

 

You'd have to give more info about the site @waterbut - aspect, soil, general climate etc.
Ajuga will grow almost anywhere, and is slug resistant. Not bedding though, but perhaps a change of approach might be worth considering. Most bedding plants are slug fodder here, which is why I don't grow them, but many people have pelargoniums which seem to be ok - perhaps they use slug pellets though. I certainly see screeds of those in borders full of newly planted bedding.

That's where knowing more about the site will help.

 

Pelargonimus are pretty slug-proof, but they really don't like wet weather, so this yr will mostly have struggled. Some lobelia are OK. Go for the single coloured flowers on the bush type. They rarely get bothered ... though, again, heavy rain does not suit them.

 

Fairygirl. The edge of the plot is East facing. The soil is clay based covered with compost mixed with manure. Position is 50.83 North 1.20 West

 

Survivors this season include nicotinia*, allyssum,mesembryanthemum,antirrhinum, zonal pelagonium, begonia. Losses of lupin, delphinium, dahlia, asters and some cosmos. Nightly patrols for the period(3-4 weeks) after planting out have accounted for 'hundreds', growth since has concealed activity. Intend to have a major campaign this Autumn to further reduce population.
* although some initial damage, it seems that the nicotine is toxic to molluscs; food for thought ?
May lead to a 'preparation' from this crop for experimentation....

 

Slug counting - is that a thing in Essex? @shiney

 

My husband only half listens to me, too. I'm not sure whether I should ask what he's counting.

 

I have these in my compost bins, they are definitely goodies!