For the hobby gardener they are a real horror: snails and slugs. During the winter months they spend their time in holes and wood crevices. But when the weather gets warmer in spring and the ground is frost-free, they crawl out of their winter quarters again. Their urge to eat knows no limits. Vegetables, flowers and perennials can be destroyed in just a few days. The fight for theKitchen and ornamental gardenis then lost for most hobby gardeners. However, if you prepare for the plague early on, you can do so in spring and summerEasily drive away pests. Because there are many plants that snails don't like. Good planning in the spring can save you the hassle in the summer.
For now:Not all snailsare pests. There are also species that are considered beneficial and those that do not eat garden plants. Slugs in particular are considered pests. In spring they begin to actively look for food. Plants that are currently sprouting often fall victim to them and are heavily attacked. However, if you let the plants sprout in the winter garden or in the garden house and only plant them in the garden in spring, then you can prevent an infestation.
Luckily, there are many slug-resistant perennials that the pests don't like. Planning your flower and vegetable bed is particularly important in spring.
The following perennials are slug resistant:
DieHydrangeas are clumpy perennialswho don't like the snails. The climbing hydrangea is perfect for planting on fences and walls.
The star umbel (Astrantia major) is perfect for planting under trees. It prefers moist soil. Their flowers attract bees to the garden and their leaves are not eaten by snails.
The purple bells are clumpy perennial foliage plants that prefer a semi-shady to shady location. Their leaves are obviously not edible for the snails because they don't eat them.
The ferns are easy-care and robust plants that feel particularly comfortable in shady locations.
These hostas are slug resistant
Like all other plantsHostas can toobe attacked by snails. However, this is rather rare for varieties with thick-fleshed leaves. To prevent the snails from eating them, you should fertilize them sparingly and let the soil dry out. We list 5 types of hostas that snails don't like.
- Hosta “Sum and Substance” is a very slug-resistant plant. It reaches a maximum height of one meter and has very large golden leaves and purple flowers.
- The large blue-leaf hosta variety “Sieboldiana var elegans” or just “Elegans” is a plant with sprawling growth and large heart-shaped blue-green leaves.
- The red-stemmed hosta variety “One Man's Treasure” is a hybrid plant that snails don't like at all. Perhaps this is due to its very heavy, dark green leaves. The hosta is not only slug-resistant, but also a real eye-catcher with its burgundy-red petioles.
- The variety “Devon Green” is a monochromatic hosta with robust leaves.
- Hosta variety “Sleeping Beauty” scores with its compact growth and a maximum growth height of almost 40 cm. The plant is ideal for the allotment garden.
Snail-resistant flowers that the pests do not eat
The autumn anemone has particularly hard leaves and delicate berry-red flowers. However, caution should be exercised when planting flower beds as the flower is invasive.
Cyclamen are early bloomers - they appear in spring and then may bloom again in autumn. They feel perfect under trees or as a border.
The fuchsias areattractive flowers, which delight the eye with their delicate flowers from March to October.
Snail-resistant summer flowers that snails don't like
The Columbine variety “Yellow Star”: The Columbine blooms in early summer. The summer flower sows itself. The snail-resistant flower prefers a location in partial shade, for example at the edge of the garden or directly in front of the garden fence.
The penstemon variety “Pensham Laura” produces long, bell-shaped flowers that attract bees and butterflies.
The milky sap of spurge is slightly toxic to humans and can cause allergies in direct contact with the skin and can lead to temporary blindness in the eyes. The plant is inedible for snails.
The leaves of the foxglove contain the toxin digoxin. The plant substance is used in the production of medicines against heart failure. It is also likely toxic to snails because they do not eat the plant.
The splendor produces its pink flowers in June. The flower is a real eye-catcher in shady locations, where it provides flowers and flowers.
Slug-resistant ground cover
The Balkan cranesbill is a particularly robust plant that thrives in shade and partial shade. The snail-resistant ground cover is perfect for the rock garden or as a bed border.
The creeping Günsel is an easy-care ground cover that is popular with hobby gardeners for its beautiful blue-violet flowers.
Lady's mantle is one of the most popular ground cover plants. Its large green leaves and lime green flowers thrive in both sun and shade.
Phlox is generally one of the plants that snails don't like. Snails only eat its leaves when they cannot find other food.
Snail-resistant vegetables and herbs: Slugs don’t like these crops
Lavender is not only one of the most beautiful, but also one of the most robust plants from the Mediterranean region. Maybe it's because of its woody stems, or because of its flowers that give off a strong scent, or maybe because of its thick-fleshed leaves, but lavender is often spared from slugs in the garden.
Vegetables that snails don't like
The snails often infest the vegetable garden. However, there are also vegetables that pests don't like. Unless because their leaves are too hairy, too thick, taste bitter or smell unpleasant. These are, for example:
- Artichoke
- asparagus
- fennel
- Garlic
- Spring onion
- Cucumbers (young plants are at risk, best grown in a greenhouse)
- ordinary lamb's lettuce
- radish
- Tomatoes
- Sugarloaf Mountain
- Leek
Herbs that snails don't like:
- Camomile
- chervil
- Coriander
- mint
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- sage
- Thymian
Fruit trees are usually not attacked by snails. The same applies to the various berry bushes.
Slugs in the garden: How to keep the pests away from the vegetable patch
By the way, there are a few tricks to thisDesign of the vegetable patchthat protect against snail infestation.
Choose a sunny and open location for the vegetable garden. Ideally somewhere in the middle of the garden and not at the edge of the garden. Tall grass, a wooden fence or a stone wall provide perfect hiding places for the snails.
Loosen the soil around the kitchen garden by incorporating sand or humus. The slugs don't like fine, crumbly soil.
Slugs prefer soil with a water content of around 40%. Therefore, try to keep the soil around and in the kitchen garden as dry as possible. Drip irrigation with sprinklers is therefore out of the question. It is better that you water the vegetables directly in the root area. This means the plants can absorb water better.
