Alan Titchmarsh shares 5 flowers slugs cannot eat that will keep them out of gardens
Seeing plants with massive holes in them can be heartbreaking, but you can effortlessly stop slugs from harming your garden with five flowers they cannot eat or crawl on.
It can be disheartening to spend all year working on your garden only for it to be destroyed by hungry slugs, but there is an easy solution to permanently stop these pests from chewing up plants.
Alan Titchmarsh has said in a short video for BBC Gardeners’ World that the solution to get rid of slugs is to not keep putting down deterrents but simply grow flowers that slugs dislike.
Alan said: “There is nothing more frustrating than finding your cherished plants full of holes the morning after or the night before when slugs and snails have done their worst. There are some plants though which are seldom, if ever, attacked by slugs."
Slug pellets or traps are not only time-consuming to place down but harmful to your local environment while many flowers have naturally developed a resistance to these leaf-munching pests.
These flowers are not only striking but are extremely common in Britain which means you can have a colourful and slug-free garden without any effort.
Flowers to plant in your garden which are naturally slug-proof
Lavender
Lavender is the best flower to grow in gardens as not only will slugs not eat it but it keeps them away as it is a natural pest repellent.
This flower contains linalool and camphor oils, which give lavender its lovely fragrant scent but will repel both slugs and rats.
The leaves on lavender are also hairy, woody and very tough which makes it horrible for slugs to crawl on and is very difficult to chew.
Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are very popular to grow in British gardens but not many people realise that this beautiful plant is disliked by slugs and they will not eat it.
The leaves on hydrangeas are difficult for slugs to crawl on due to their waxy smooth surface. They also cannot digest their tough leathery leaves.
Some hydrangeas also contain compounds which are toxic to slugs which they will avoid, however, hydrangeas are also grown in bright areas in the garden as they need lots of sunlight. This also means they will be less likely to attract slugs simply because these pests usually prefer moist and shaded environments.
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Foxgloves
Foxgloves are pretty but contain highly toxic compounds which will kill slugs if they ingest them but also have hairy and rough leaves which act as a physical barrier to keep slugs away.
It should be noted that foxgloves can be deadly to not just slugs, so keep them out of your garden if you have pets, or children or have lots of neighbourhood cats and foxes in your area.
Fuchsias
Fuchsias are pretty summer flowers known for their tough leaves which slugs cannot eat and the smooth glossy surface of its leaves makes it very difficult for slugs to crawl on.
Nasturtiums
Slugs only thrive in wet areas of the garden which is why nasturtium flowers are perfect for a slug-proof garden as they only thrive in dry conditions.
Nasturtiums also have a strong peppery scent which smells lovely to humans but slugs cannot stand, so it can act as a natural deterrent.