First Time Gardener Snail trouble!

Hey guys, I am new here and its lovely to meet you all. I have a garden for the first time well one that I can call mine as for the past 5 years we had a shared garden :( I have been having lots of fun sorting out our little garden and trying to make it look pretty! I hope that everyone can help me on here learn lots more on how to make my garden look nice! If I can work out if there is a thread to share photos id really like too as theres a few plants in my garden Id like to share and learn more about!
I was wondering can anyone help with a little problem I have? SNAILS
I brought lots of new plants for my small raised flower bed and the snails ate the LOT! I was so sad. I have some lavender in there at the moment and they havent touched it..I have a plant which I think is called a succulent? I really want to put that in but I dont want the snails to eat it as it was my mums and YEARS old..is there anything you can think of that I could plant and the snails wont eat? thanks xxx

 

Hi kaytee, and welcome.

Ah, the eternal question, how to deter slugs 'n snails! It's hard to tell which of these pesky little critters has actually caused the damage but, if you can find the ultimate solution, gardeners worldwide will flock to your door to pay homage!:ntwrth:

However, there are a few things you can do to deter them, or at least minimise the damage they cause, the first of which is to have a look on here at the pests and diseases topic.

You may also find this helpful ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/gqt/slug_resistant_plants.shtml

Finally, I have an article my Father once cut out of a newspaper which suggests that slugs and snails avoid the following plants - although I've never been tempted to fill my garden with them to test the theory!

Borage
Garlic
Geraniums
Hyssop
Lavender
Lemon balm
Mint
Sage
Stinging nettles
Tansy
Thymes
Wormwood

If you have a treasured plant, I'd suggest you put it in a large pot, you can then either sink that in the ground with a copper band around the top, or buy an outdoor plant stand and put the pot well up off the ground.

 

The slugs and snails drive me mad too - I have managed to entice a local hedgehog in which i helping but I also set beer traps - old margarine pots, dig a hole and sit them in the hole (so they are in line with the ground) fill them with tesco value beer and empty them out ever few days and refill. The slugs (and some snails) will drown (and its all natural :-) )

 

I'm sure I've said this before on here, but I go out at night with a big bucket of salty water and collect them for a watery grave.

 

i have heard of beer traps before ,i think my dad told me.he said it was the most humain way to get rid of slugs (AS THEY DIE HAPPY!). MUSIC.