GARDEN
Notes from a small
snails and almost anything else, that it will support. Which in real terms means that the more things I plant, the more snails I’ll get – but I hopefully will also get frogs and thrushes and many other beasts of beauty.
Chomp mightily though they might, I can’t bring myself to hurt them. They’re just going about their business as I’m going about mine. And, when I think about the barren space I inherited, these large, handsome snails are more a badge of success than a mark of failure. So, the thing to do is dissuade them from decimating the plants that I want to enjoy – primarily hostas and dahlias at the moment, though they’ve had a go at a lobelia and even a hydrangea before. And I particularly want to protect those varieties that seem more vulnerable to mollusc a ack than others.So I've added some Grazers G2 formula (www. grazers.co.uk) to my armoury, and this works by making the
plants taste nasty
while not harming the slugs or the environment. You’re supposed to apply it proactively, rather than reactively, which admi edly I’ve not done, but hopefully it’ll provide enough protection for the plants to recover and do their summer thing and, discovering that dahlias leave a bi er taste in their mouths, the slimy beasts will wander off and find something else to eat.
July’s not always thought of as a prime month for propagation, but there are still plenty of things that are ripe for multiplying if you put your mind to it. Softwood cu ings from plants such as mint, thyme, lavender, rosemary and salvias will take easily now – mint and salvias will often grow roots in a glass of water if you want to see the magic in action. There are also seeds that can be sown around now and I’m going to get going with verbascum ‘Snowy Spires’ and echinacea ‘Sundress’, which by this time next year should be looking pre y jolly glorious!