12 Beautiful Plants Slugs Won’t Eat

Slugs and snails can be detrimental to gardens. As cute as they may be, they can devour many of our favorite plants seemingly overnight. And, once they’ve set up camp in the garden, they can be very difficult to deter, particularly for those of us who would prefer not to harm animals.

So, if slugs are present but a garden needs to grow, it might help to start with a few plants that slugs turn their noses (if they have noses) up at. Luckily, there are several plants, many beautiful— even some that are edible— that aren’t on the slug menu.

Whether the garden is shady, moist, dry, or sunny, some plants can work for outfoxing the slugs and cultivating something pleasant to look at, maybe even smell or eat. It’s all about planting the right thing.

Source: Garden Answer/Youtube

The Flower Garden

Buying a load of beautiful flowers in the spring only to see them eaten by slugs is a horrible feeling and often a costly one. Slugs can cause some serious damage to the flower bed, and they don’t feel any guilt about it at all. But, these plants can provide some pretty petals without worry.

1. Columbine – This plant is easy to grow from seed, and it will self-sow from there on out. Columbine blooms in spring and early summer, and the flowers are dainty and complicated with a myriad of shapes and colors.
2. Lenten Rose – Also known as hellebores, Lenten roses are named thusly for their tendency to bloom during Lent. The foliage hangs around for the rest of the year. It’s not a rose but from the Buttercup family, and it’s very easy to grow, even in shade.
3. Euphorbia – Known as an elegant but tough plant, euphorbia is often referred to as spurge, and it has a large number of cultivars. It’s considered deer-resistant, drought-resistant, and heat-tolerant. It also blooms for a long time and requires very little maintenance.
4. Japanese Anemone – A great choice for providing some color in autumn, the Japanese anemone has a long blooming season—up to two months—when many flowers are calling it quits.

Source: Epic Gardening/Youtube

The Medicinal Herb Garden

The culinary and medicinal herb garden is both beautiful and incredibly useful, and many gardeners seem to skip right over it. Well, aromatic herbs of most varieties are a great choice when battling slugs. Some are downright no-brainers.

1. Rosemary – A favorite culinary herb and highly medicinal, rosemary should be in most gardens. The pretty little blooms are great draws for pollinators, and in many US growing zones, they are evergreen perennials.
2. Catmint – Another great perennial herb from the mint family, catmint does a great service to the herb garden, and it won’t suffer from hungry slugs. Catmint is not catnip but is closely related, and it puts out beautiful purple flowers.
3. Lavender – An all-around fantastic aromatic herb to put in the medicinal/culinary herb garden, lavender can make different dishes playful, and it is an outstanding addition for deterring different pests like ticks and fleas.
4. Lamb’s Ear – This herb isn’t something often used in the kitchen though it does have edible leaves. It’s also a great medicinal plant to have, helpful topically with cuts and stings as well as in teas for colds, headaches, and more.

Source: Growing Wisdom/Youtube

The Shrubbery

Shrubs are another great addition to gardens because they fill in a necessary vertical gap between herbs and trees. Some of them can provide edible treats and beautiful flowers without falling victim to slugs.

1. Ferns – Ferns are the ideal plant for shady areas, and some ferns—such as ostrich ferns—provide edible fiddleheads in the spring. They are great for planting along shady fence lines and under trees.
2. Yucca – Strong ornamental plants that send up notable flowers and rugged leaves. There are many types of yucca—50-plus species—and, as cacti, they are well suited for drier climates but can work in humid environments as well.
3. Wormwood – Known as the special ingredient in absinthe, wormwood is a willing growing, thriving in many climates. It has attractive stems and leaves as well as bulbous flowers. It is used cautiously as a medicinal plant.
4. Hydrangea – Ridiculous attractive plants with great cut flowers that dry well, hydrangea has species that work like trees or shrubs. They fill space very well with something extraordinary to look at.

Slugs at Bay

There is no doubt that slugs can cause problems, but we can still have great gardens with slugs on the scene. There are also several humane ways to keep slugs off the more vulnerable plants.

Related Content:

• Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Will No Longer Classify Slugs and Snails as Pests
• Dealing With Slugs in the Garden: Oh, the Humane-ity!
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• You Want to See These 8 Animals in Your Yard
• Frogs That Can Make Your Garden Grow and How to Naturally Attract Them

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