Message from
In forum: Garden Landscaping and Design Forum Event
Excellent question, slugs are a pain in the butt aren't they?
Copper does definitely work at deterring them however if you only have a few vulnerable plants why not try other alternatives prior to spending money on expensive copper?
Think about encouraging in predators to eat the wretched creatures - birds, beetles, frogs.
If you have a fire during the winter keep aside the wood ash for emergencies and use during the spring summer months around your most precious plants.
Try egg shells, beer, orange peels, garlic, coffee (as you've already suggested) ...
What ever method you use is really dependent on what it is you are trying to prevent them from eating!
If it is your prize hostas whether in pots or in the ground the slugs and snails are only interested in the juicy young leaves so try a plastic cloche which you can make from an old plastic drinks bottle.
Hope this is of help, let me know how you get on....
Message from
In forum: Garden Landscaping and Design Forum Event
Hi, Val,
I feel your frustration - I had a constant battle with slugs attacking my hostas when I lived in London. What finally worked for me was to accept that I had to put them in containers and wrapped the containers top and bottom with copper tape. That kept them out.
Kathy C
Message from
In forum: Garden Landscaping and Design Forum Event
Thanks Karren - I was going to do a repeat dose at the end of June anyway (after 6 weeks), but will probably water in again before this - thanks for advice - what a pity I really like Hostas and Dahlias!! - Val
Message from
In forum: Garden Landscaping and Design Forum Event
I had the same problem with some newly planted Hostas, and also tried a number of things including the nemaslug. The nemaslug didn't seem to do much at first, but then I gave them a second heavy treatment about 4 weeks after the first treatment and that seems to have done the trick. Not sure how many times you have tried the nemaslug but maybe it is worth another go?
Karren
Question from
In forum: Garden Landscaping and Design Forum Event
A few weeks ago, I bought 4 separately named hostas from J Parkers. All started to grow beautfifully (the White Feather variety is a bit fragile) then, as weather has warmed up the beautiful leaves are getting frilled and eaten. Having been to Chelsea this year, where the theme was 'green' and whole Hosta displays took my breath away, I am in despair as to what I can do - all my garden has been watered with Nemaslug, organic animal-friendly slug pellets used and copper around container Hostas; I've even experimentally used coffee grounds or egg shells (dried) around hostas in the ground. Any ideas PLEASE!! Oh by the way, I've also lost 4 Dinner-Plate Dahlias which all started to look really healthy.
Message from
In forum: Identify a plant
Hi, Nicholas,
I'm having trouble getting a true sense of colour with all the lovely myosotis around! Would you be able to photograph one leaf up close. Also, were the flowers the usual pale purple or something different?
Kathy C
Question from
In forum: Identify a plant
You can just see the hosta type leaves. It has been brilliant flowering through most of May. I'd love to be able to buy more of them. (I know you can divide them ! )
Message from
In forum: General
Hi Kathy
My two children are now 17 and 22 so I am finally having some time to myself. However, I have a full time job, love my garden and just for good measure I am studying RHS hort level II and a diploma in garden design! I am 48 and determined to be a garden designer eventually. You should get your little three year old to start helping you! It's never too young to start gardening. I am going to Chelsea for the first time on Friday and haven't been this excited since I was a child myself.
Tracey
Message from
In forum: General
Hi Kathy
It is Hosta 'First Frost'. It seems as if a completely new hosta has sprung up above the flower. I will be interested to see what happens next, particularly next year. Thanks for your interest. Are you an obsessive gardener like me?
Photo from
In forum: General
The owner of the nursery was as baffled as I was. Has anyone ever see this before?
Message from
In forum: Edible gardening
Hi, Jean,
I have actually had success using copper tape around pot bases and lips to keep the slugs away. Maybe you could try your brassicas outside in clay pots with lots of copper tape. It kept the little varmints away from my potted hostas! I did have to replace the tape each season since it did deteriorate somewhat, but well worth it!
Kathy C.
Message from
In forum: Snails
Hi Jennifer
I have found nematodes to be very successful - the treatment lasts at least 6 weeks and was very effective.
Sue
Message from
In forum: Garden Landscaping and Design Forum Event
This is a dificult one! You can either try and improve the conditions by spending a lot of money and installing some land drains to try to dry out the land. Or you could create raised beds to improve drainage. Or much the better solution, work with a conditions you have and abandon the lawn and plant up the whole garden with plants that will relish those conditions. If you then laid a thick layer of shredded bark over the whole area you would smother weeds and all of the drop from the trees could just be left to rot down. This is how woodland gardens work and they are some of the most beautiful around.
Plants like erythroniums, trilliums, epimediums, ferns, hostas would love the conditions.
Hope that helps.
Janine Pattison MSGD
http://www.janinepattison.com
http://www.sgd.org.uk
Question from
In forum: Garden Landscaping and Design Forum Event
Hi
We have a West facing patio (7 x 5 metres approx) made of Cotswold stone slabs edged with dark sets which then continues in smaller reddish sets down the side of the house and into drive at the front of the house. It was all built about 4 years ago just before we moved into the house so is in good condition. Unfortunately no planting spaces have been left anywhere in the paving so I rely totally on using plants in pots. I keep buying bigger & bigger containers which seem enormous in the garden centre but when placed on the expanse of patio just don't make much impact. On the shady North fence of the patio I've got large hostas and last Spring planted a Fatshedera X lizei grown in a large ceramic trough to try & cover the long fence. Unfortunately after bad aphid attack last summer & a lot of frost damage it looks unlikely to do the job. Are pot grown climbers the wrong approach? I've considered lifting up some areas for planting but my husband is reluctant as he thinks it may unsettle the rest of the stones and that there may be concrete underneath anyway. Whilst useful for the kids to scoot, sand table, table & chairs etc I'd love some ideas on how to soften the look of the whole area, preferably adding much needed contrast in height. The long south facing fence along the side of the house (partly shaded) is also very stark.. The photo shows South facing kitchen wall of patio and how small and low everything seems to look!
Many thanks in advance.
Message from
In forum: Pests, diseases and invasive biosecurity risks
Hi again Kathy, strangely enough my mum had mentioned that hostas do not like to much water. We have had a lot of rain recently so maybe that is the problem. It seems to be wilting a lot today, if it is too much water do you think it will recover. The sedum is already showing little rosettes of of leaves at the bottom so ill assume its ok. im suspicious that the euphorbia may be affected by a fungus, but i took off the affected leaves and it seems to be better for now.
Thanks again
Rebecca
Message from
In forum: Pests, diseases and invasive biosecurity risks
Hi, again, Rebecca,
Based on what you told me, it could be that the trouble could be too much water - how often did you water in summer? Too much rainfall could be the culprit in the last few months. The only plant I am concerned about is the Euphorbia - the Hosta and Sedum can be and should be cut back for winter since they look bad. If winter is mild, the Sedum will probably start to send out little rosettes of leaves at the base. Now, having said all that, if you see the problem starting early or in the middle of the growing season next year, you might want to test your soil - especially the ph - maybe you have a crazy pH level.
Kathy C.
Message from
In forum: Pests, diseases and invasive biosecurity risks
Hi again Kathy, the planted were mainly planted this spring, they were planted by a professional landscape gardener, who is a friend and i would trust him. Going by the things you have listed above everything seems to be in the right place. I live in northern ireland, there wasnt much rain over the summer but i watered carefully, and theres been plenty of rain over the past few months. Ive attached another pic of the hosta, so you can see the changes since I took the last pic 4 days ago, its a lot yellower than it looks in the picture, its also a reverse of the other pic. It was very healthy and thriving until these marks started to appear. Im really concerned that this will continue affecting more plants and that i will have to replace everything. Thanks again for your help.
Message from
In forum: Pests, diseases and invasive biosecurity risks
Hi, again Rebecca,
SInce all of these plants are effected, and some are deciduous, others evergreen, and it has been happening for a few months now, I am now wondering about when/how/where they were planted and what the after care has been since they were planted. Some plants you have listed like moist shade (hosta), others need full sun with good drainage (sedum) and others need full sun with moist soil (lilies, for the most part). Are they in the right place? Has there been adequate rainfall where you live? Has there been excessive rainfall where you live? Any other photos you can post?
Kathy C.
Photo from
In forum: Pests, diseases and invasive biosecurity risks
This picture is of a hosta planted this year, it was healthy until the past few months when the leaves and stems turned a yellow orange colour, starting with the edges of the leaves, spreading over all the leaf and down the stem. This has also happened on my sedum, astilbe, pulsatilla, lilies and euphorbia. Can anyone identify it and tell me how to stop it?
Message from
In forum: General
Thanks Kathy, the only info i have on these are sedum autumn joy and euphorbia purpurea. These changes have been occurring for some months, making me think they are not seasonal changes. im going to add photos of the hosta so you can see the changes. thanks again