A tray or two of french marigolds from the garden centre will fill it with colour for this summer up until October. If you are still there then, A giant bag of daffodil bulbs for a fiver from Lidl, and some winter flowering pansies.
Honestly, the slugs here are something else! They slither right on past pellets, egg shells, copper tape, coffee grounds... Ive tried it all. Last year I had bought a couple of lupins in clearance at b&q and they decimated them over night the day I planted them. I resorted to going out at night collecting them up and pouring salt on them 😥
I had success the previous year using nematodes but timed it wrong last year.
They didn't bother with stuff like lobelia and geraniums that I had in pots... So maybe annuals is the way to go.
I picked up some Doff slug traps from poundstretcher on Saturday. I put an inch of beer in the bottom of each and this morning they are full of slugs, small and large. I normally use yoghurt pots or similar, but I suspect a fox has been drinking the beer, so these with covers on are really good.
My slugs just drink the beer and wobble home. One of the best things I found was peanuts in a bird feeder. I fill two up and put them on the ground among the plants. My slugs go crazy for peanuts; They pile in four deep to get at the food. I go out at night and about 30 off the feeders. I need to get more peanuts in.
Siananigans, if you are still around next winter, that's the time to curb slug love: they are tough and wake up sporadically to feed even in the toughest climate, so you are able to whack a lot of prospective mums with pellets.
I too have grown nasturtiums for quick ground cover and the slugs seem to leave them alone, but like you Daisy I do get a blackfly problem on the plants - but at least they usually grow, where as slugs always attack my French Marigolds, so I have given up growing them now.
Oooh all very interesting. Maybe I'll give the nasturtiums a go then, worst case scenario and they get eaten I can grab some cheapo annuals. Will let you know how it goes!
So I planted some nasturtium seeds a couple of weeks ago now and so far only one little spout has appeared! How long do they normally take to get going?
Usually about a week to ten days, I would expect. Could something have made off with the seeds? Or possibly get munched by slugs as soon as they stick their head above the soil? Did you give them a good soak every other day to aid germination. Have a little look around and see if you can dig up some of the seeds, if they are still there. Otherwise, buy another pack and sow some more!
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I had success the previous year using nematodes but timed it wrong last year.
They didn't bother with stuff like lobelia and geraniums that I had in pots... So maybe annuals is the way to go.