Happy Hostas

I have secretly held a grudge against one of our clients for the past three years. She is the guardian of a garden full of healthy, happy and most importantly ‘hole-free’ Hostas.

Being particularly keen on the aforesaid plants, I do reach boiling point somewhere in July, when maddening molluscs have munched my Hostas to a fretwork of nothingness.

The answer, my friends, is to employ the ‘Giddings Guard’ (named after aforementioned Hosta Heroine).

A reel of green, plastic lawn edging (available from B&Q), which is cut to size and pushed into the ground around the Hostas as they start into growth. The inside of the guard is then filled with sharp grit.

For a belt and braces approach, a garlic wash can be watered onto the foliage. This is made, somewhat amazingly!) from four garlic cloves boiled in two pints of water. The resultant concentrate is then decanted to a plastic bottle on diluted 3 capfuls to a gallon and watered onto the foliage weekly.

Come on Mr Slug and Monsieur Snail, IT’S WAR!

Author: Mike the Gardener

Freelance gardening writer, consultant and designer. Mike Palmer is a passionate and professional plantsman, offering services in garden writing, consultancy and garden design. Mike is also available for garden and plant related talks and presentations. Mike has been a professional horticulturalist for over fifteen years. View all posts by Mike the Gardener