There was a gardening program about a couple who grew nothing but Hostas and they were perfect. He used to boil up garlic cloves, strained it, then diluted the liquid with water in a watering can which he spread around his plants. Shouldn't be too much of a smell!
I found that I had to protect my astrantias with copper rings until they had grown big enough to deter the slugs. As above, I have turned my garden into one that will only grow things that slugs won't eat except the 2 hostas in pots that have a ring of copper round the top. One still got holes in (slugs or snails?) so I think a brave slug thug has got in and probably has buried itself in the soil and comes out at night for a feed and then hides during the daytime!
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There was a gardening program about a couple who grew nothing but Hostas and they were perfect. He used to boil up garlic cloves, strained it, then diluted the liquid with water in a watering can which he spread around his plants. Shouldn't be too much of a smell!
I might give that a go thanks, I do use slug pellets in moderation but am not keen as I have 3 cats.
I found that I had to protect my astrantias with copper rings until they had grown big enough to deter the slugs. As above, I have turned my garden into one that will only grow things that slugs won't eat except the 2 hostas in pots that have a ring of copper round the top. One still got holes in (slugs or snails?) so I think a brave slug thug has got in and probably has buried itself in the soil and comes out at night for a feed and then hides during the daytime!