Slugging it out

They are the bane of every gardener’s life – the slugs and snails that chomp their way through the flowers and the vegetable patch. But how to get rid of them? Poisoned pellets are out of the question because of the impact they have on birds, frogs and hedgehogs that eat the slugs. Popular organic deterrents include coffee grounds, copper tape or eggshells spread around the plants. Some gardeners swear by beer, and not just to drown their sorrows. Others avoid growing the flowers that are most loved by slugs, like dahlias and hostas. Now scientists at the Royal Horticultural Society will try to give a definitive answer to what works best by testing a range of remedies at their research centre in Surrey. These are not expected to include throwing them into the next door garden.