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Rockery Vs Slugs??
first time gardener
Posts: 26
I'm just starting my HUGE garden project. We bought our house in late autumn and the garden is a mess. I've always wanted a rockery but my neighbour has warned me that apparently there is a well nearby and this has caused his rockery to become infested with slugs?? so much so that he has removed his.. this is concerning me and I'm not sure what to do? I thought about making a small pond for any frogs which would hopefully eat any slugs but there are also a lot of cats in the area who have taken to residing in my garden over the winter! I'm at a loss 
Thanks, Laura
0
Posts
Well, we have a fair number of rockeries (horrible word!) and there are no more molluscs on them than on the rest of the garden. We have a water meter in a brick lined 'well'. type thing. It is stuffed full of snails and I cannot say that they have ever invaded the Alpine growing area next to it.
By all means incorporate a pond in your plans. Frogs, toads and newts all eat molluscs. Provided you give them plenty of cover, the cats will not be a problem to your amphibians. At least the 5 cats in this garden do not bother them.
I live in a high rainfall area with loads of slugs and snails. I have a large rocky bank with alpines and they are not a problem here. This is probably because most alpines like full sun and gritty soil of low nutrient value. This means they do not put on the lush growth that attracts the molluscs. The soil on my bank is shaly and I dress the lower levels with gravel or grit. Have your rockery, do it properly and you should not have major problems. Any plants that prove vulnerable can have a few organic slug pellets if need be. Campanulas are ones to watch out for - their leaves are green without the hairs or waxy coating of many alpines, which probably deter the slugs.