Hubby was taking the bin out one night a couple of weeks ago when he spotted a hedgehog foraging under the hedge at the back of the garden. It was dusk, so hedgehog (we've named him Sonic) was just visible as he made his way through the long grass that had escaped my mower. Apparently hedgehogs eat slugs and snails so gardeners like them!
At first I thought it was Mr Slug having a feast every night. I've read that some slug pellets are fatal to hedgehogs so I needed to think of some other type of slug repellant. I have trawled websites and discussion forums for the best non-chemical option and there have been many suggestions from gravel to copper feet. I've opted for using stuff that I'd otherwise throw in the bin (as I don't have a budget in the "new home fund" for copper feet or gravel); crushed eggshells and used ground coffee beans. The sharp edges are too uncomfortable for Mr Slug to slither over. Last weekend I covered the ground at the stalks of the remaining Salvias to see if that would deter the pests. I also put the shell of an orange (dome side up) in the flower bed to see if anything would crawl under there.
Unfortunately whatever is eating the Salvias has not been deterred by the eggshells and coffee granules:
(Yes I know you can't see anything. That's because all that's left is the crushed eggshells!)
Unfortunately I forgot to check the orange shell next morning to see if I'd caught anything. By the time I got home in the evening, if anything had been there then it was long gone. There are hardly any Salvias left now so I've given up trying to save them from whatever was eating them. I'm not sure if it was slugs and snails... it just seemed too quick and calculated. Unless slugs are more intelligent than I'm giving them credit for! Hubby thinks it was Sonic the Hedgehog but I'm not convinced. Why eat the Salvias and not the rest of the plants? Dad says I planted the Salvias too early anyway. Grandpa never planted his flowers till the second week in June and his dahlias used to win prizes. With global warming, June might actually be a bit late nowadays so I'm going to plant my summer flowers during the late May bank holiday. I don't think I'll promote myself to dahlias just yet although they're my favourite flower.
The chilli plants were also looking a bit sorry for themselves. I understand now that I've planted them in the wrong place as they need a greenhouse and I don't have one of those! My patio can't exactly be described as a Mediterranean environment so I doubt I'll get any chillies. Anyway, the I noticed a couple of weeks ago that the foliage was a bit chewed and had a few brown spots. A website (can't remember which one!) suggested a bug like blackfly could be the culprit. On checking the first time I couldn't see anything so put it down to the windy salty air of a garden near the coast. However I regularly saw similar suggestions on other websites so went back for a closer look. I just made out the tiniest of black flecks on the underside of the leaves. They reminded me of thunder flies which I've only ever experienced when I lived in Boston, Lincolnshire as a child. I didn't think they ventured into the cold mists of Scotland! Regardless, I used a bug spray that can be used on fruit and vegetable plants and that seems to have solved the issue for now. The Scotch Bonnet chilli foliage is actually growing!
So I won the war against bugs, lost the slug battle and hopefully still have a hedgehog!
Unfortunately whatever is eating the Salvias has not been deterred by the eggshells and coffee granules:
(Yes I know you can't see anything. That's because all that's left is the crushed eggshells!)
Unfortunately I forgot to check the orange shell next morning to see if I'd caught anything. By the time I got home in the evening, if anything had been there then it was long gone. There are hardly any Salvias left now so I've given up trying to save them from whatever was eating them. I'm not sure if it was slugs and snails... it just seemed too quick and calculated. Unless slugs are more intelligent than I'm giving them credit for! Hubby thinks it was Sonic the Hedgehog but I'm not convinced. Why eat the Salvias and not the rest of the plants? Dad says I planted the Salvias too early anyway. Grandpa never planted his flowers till the second week in June and his dahlias used to win prizes. With global warming, June might actually be a bit late nowadays so I'm going to plant my summer flowers during the late May bank holiday. I don't think I'll promote myself to dahlias just yet although they're my favourite flower.
The chilli plants were also looking a bit sorry for themselves. I understand now that I've planted them in the wrong place as they need a greenhouse and I don't have one of those! My patio can't exactly be described as a Mediterranean environment so I doubt I'll get any chillies. Anyway, the I noticed a couple of weeks ago that the foliage was a bit chewed and had a few brown spots. A website (can't remember which one!) suggested a bug like blackfly could be the culprit. On checking the first time I couldn't see anything so put it down to the windy salty air of a garden near the coast. However I regularly saw similar suggestions on other websites so went back for a closer look. I just made out the tiniest of black flecks on the underside of the leaves. They reminded me of thunder flies which I've only ever experienced when I lived in Boston, Lincolnshire as a child. I didn't think they ventured into the cold mists of Scotland! Regardless, I used a bug spray that can be used on fruit and vegetable plants and that seems to have solved the issue for now. The Scotch Bonnet chilli foliage is actually growing!So I won the war against bugs, lost the slug battle and hopefully still have a hedgehog!
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