What do gastropods HATE that also lives in the shade?

I have lost more hostas and other lovlies to the many slugs and snails (especially snails) that infest my shady areas. Do you know of any good dry-ish shade plants that won't get eaten so fast (besides dicentra, gallium, and lamium)?

Or failing that, how do you keep the gastropods away from hostas while they're still young and tender?

You could work your coffee grounds into the top inch or two but it's not a guarantee that the slugs won't find a choice plant. I use Ortho Plus and I'm happy with the way it works. Apply it as soon as the hostas break through the ground and don't wait until they're in full leaf.

They don't bother my Euphorbias, ferns, heuchera, golden moneywort, epimedium hellebore or the hydrangea at all.

Now, come on, Pirl. You can't post a beautiful shady border like that without some identification to help those of us trying to plagiarize your garden! Is that a golden heuchera in the center, or a gold-leaved oak leaf hydrangea? And just to the left of the golden-leafed plant, what's the round-leafed green plant? I presume it's a hosta, but almost looks like a big foliaged asarum.

Asarum is right! I don't have any oak leaf hydrangeas so I'll have to enlarge the photo to see the gold leaved plant you mentioned.

Got it! Citronelle heuchera. Guess it could use division by now (when the snow is gone) but it's at such a lovely stage that I hate doing it.

Obsidian is the dark heuchera towards the left.

One of the many euphorbias is in between Citronelle and Sagae hosta.

No mosses! How did I miss transplanting some?

The slugs only try to eat the hostas but not Sagae at all.

Since I try to have an organic garden and encourage a wide range of insects to feed the birds and snakes I used Sluggo, which is supposed to be non toxic to pets and wildlife, to reduce the amount of slugs.
I wasn't losing hosta, I was unsuccessful in every attempt at growing wood phlox, P.divaricata. They were eaten to the nubins and then expired 3 years in a row.

After 2 seasons of using the Sluggo I had reduced the population enough to succeed in shade plantings so stopped using anything chemical for the last 5 years.

I know that the larvae stage of fireflies feed on slugs when small so I didn't want to eradicate the slugs entirely since I wanted more fireflies. I believe the small brown DeKays snakes also eat them and my backyard population of them is up also by providing lots of rock borders for them to hide under.

I also tried copper strips around plants which deter slugs and the tried and try method of catching and throwing them onto the driveway for the birds to eat.


Your garden is lovely Pirl.
I am trying (hoping) to achieve something similar but I have started to limit myself to native plants that have a positive effect on the environment by being the nectar or host plant, shrub, or tree for native insects or birds.
In the photo you can see the bunches of blue flowered wood phlox that are now spreading nicely.
I have since replaced 2 of the 3 hostas with native barren strawberry and sedum ternata to go with the edging of violets and wild ginger. The white blooming Fothergilla is a little cheat since it is native to a little south of me.

"Plagiarize" - how funny. I am totally admitting to tagging photos when I realize how inept I am at composition.
semper - I love fireflies but don't even know what the juvenile forms look like. I've read references to glow worms but have never seen those either.

I routinely copy photos to Picasa just for reference, Cindy. Anytime I see a great color harmony photo I'm quick to copy it just to learn from it and possibly use it or a variation.

Speaking of glow worms...this was recorded by the Mills Brothers when I was Sweet 16:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8myK93FqbYc&feature=related

Chuckle. I remember that song but not sure if same artist. I've always been fascinated by lightning bugs. DD and I used to go driving out in wooded areas on summer nights looking for the best spots to see them. Knew a gent from AU where they don't have the creatures and can't imagine his reaction to his first sighting. I saw a nature program on tv last week on survival in some of the world's driest areas and showing termite mounds. There are glow worms that co-habitate in the outside walls of the mounds and catch and consume the termites when they're doing their mating swarm. At night, the mounds absolutely glow with all of the critters. Sorry, going off on a tangent.

Don't be sorry. It was a nice dreamy respite from the cold and icy world outside the window.

I forgot to ask, pirl - how big is your 'Sagae'? I've had mine for several years and it stands about 3 ft tall. I love your composition but was wondering how to cope with the more intense shade under 'Sagae'.
Ugh - the snow started here at 1pm and the wind is starting to pick up.
Early on I had issue with slugs and set out beer traps and eggshells but that was years ago. For whatever reason, I rarely see them now but I couldn't tell you why.

Mine is not a super grower. It's about 6 years old now and I thought it would have grown larger - a bit disappointing. I do grow hosta under it and golden moneywort/lysimachia.

This message was edited Feb 1, 2011 10:11 PM

I too have a smaller Hosta growing under 'Sagae' - I think it's 'June' or 'Janet' - can't remember exactly.

Isn't it amusing that the hostas we know by heart from spring through fall are the same ones we can't remember right now?

June is somewhere in the garden pictured above and I know where Paradise Joyce is but I'd hate to be tested on the others right now.

I do tend to forget the names of Hostas once they've been in the garden for several years. Hopefully they're not offended.

I've found very few this spring despite the torrential rains we've had (and it's raining as I type and that's the prediction for the next two days) but I have found them around that black rubber edging, not in the garden as much.

Just wondering if any of you guys ever see toads, skinks and garter snakes in your garden. I do. But I don't have slugs. Or if I do I haven't seen them.

No, I haven't and haven't heard of them being in the area.

Wonder if there's any way to get them there? I don't know anyone who sells such things. :-p

Hey, this is the Internet! You can buy ANYTHING!

But make sure it's already native to your area.

Garter snakes: http://bit.ly/ka4EFc

Skinks: http://bit.ly/kzRawX

Toads I couldn't easily Google without producing lots of books and tee shirts. But it shouldn't be too hard to capture a live toad in your area and set it loose in your garden.

killd - Are skinks those little lizards? DD in Columbia, TN has a couple of different colored ones. I have toads here. They somehow get themselves up into flower pots sitting on the ground. It is kinda cool when there are little baby toads hopping around. Garter snakes - occasionally.

Skinks, if I'm correct, are the little fat lizards with stripes and blue tails. I mostly see them close to and on my house. This year I have toads everywhere. I've yet to see a garter snake yet, though I usually have a few that stay in the garden every year.
I wonder also if birds eat slugs. I got a lotta birds.
Once in a while I find a snail or two but I don't know of any damage I've seen from them.

We've had lots of wildlife in our garden this year.
I saw a cute little garter snake this past weekend.
My wife refused to go near the area after the sighting.
We've had toads and for some reason, lots of tortoises this year.
Unfortunately also deer, bunnies, ground hogs (actually, very cute!!), mammal-sized mosquitos...
I don't see slugs or snails often, but lots of my hostas have tell-tale holes,
so I presume they're out there...
It's a jungle out there!

"mammal-sized mosquitoes" - LOL. After the cold winters here, I always wonder how we get so many so early in the season (April). With all of the rain this week, it will be interesting to see what moves to the higher ground in my backyard. Did see a red fox the other day in my backyard, bordering the woods. Not their normal habitat.

Wow. I thought I lived out in the wild. You guys have me beat. Though I did trap a fox a couple of years ago that had been raiding my chicken tractors.

I've had pretty good luck putting out dishes of beer -- the slugs love it and they leave my hostas alone. The difficult part is cleaning it up (gross) and keeping my schnauzer out of it . Can't really blame a german dog for loving beer ...

Actually I live in a subdivision but my lot backs up to a wooded wetlands along a creek.
killd - DD had her small flock of chickens eaten by wild dogs. They're in the process of building new chicken tractors that should keep out the dogs. How prevalent are foxes in TN? They live south of Nashville.

Try diatomaceous earth. It scrathces their bellies as they try to slink over it. It is supposed to work very well. You might be able to get it from a pool service company.

I've been living here for 25 years (south of N'ville) and that was the first fox I've actually met in person. I don't keep chickens anymore. Mom has Alzheimer's and never cooks anymore and I'm not a big egg-eater.

Sometime what looks like a wild dog with a bushy tail is a coyote. I was so surprised that first time I saw one around here.

I know DD has coyotes in the rural Columbia area as well as wild dogs (who ate her chickens). Seems like everyone out in the country lets their dogs roam free.

Hi Cathy,

I am being over-run by snails this year and sorta remembered about the D. earth. You said to put it around the plants, but 2 areas of my gardens are inundated with them. Can I just put it all over?

Example one. Brought these into the lanai for protection.

Hap

#2 My beautiful begonia

#3 The sweet potato vine.

Thanks Hap

Cathy, is there any reason you can't use slug bait? If not, it might be a better choice than DE for your circumstances.

Will any of this kill my dog who is our in the yard all the time?

Nancy

Happy, you can put the diatomaceous earth all over. It is physically annoying to anything that crawls as it cuts into their bellies. It is otherwise calcium from the sea (ground shells) and healthy for the soil. Completely nontoxic.

Thank you so much. They are destroying my gardens.

Tomorrow is another day for them......or their last day!

Nancy