Some Gastropod-Resistant Plants

Snails and slugs don't chew 'em, they eschew 'em!

Often, snails and slugs will avoid eating plants that are likely to irritate their slimy little bodies—this would include plants with hairy or rough surfaces, plants with dental floss-like fibers (e.g., grasses), plants with icky sap (e.g., euphorbias), plants that are very aromatic (rosemary, catnip, yarrow), plants with thick, leathery leaves (e.g. manzanita). The following list of snail and slug-resistant plants has been gleaned from books, websites, experience and hearsay, and is subject to change in response to your very welcome feedback.

Shrubs and vines: azaleas, camellias (new leaves may be vulnerable), ceanothus, fuchsia, grapes, hebe, holly, hops, hydrangea, manzanita, rock rose (cistus), rhododendrons, rosemary, viburnum.

Annuals: sweet alyssum, bachelor's buttons, borage, clarkia, coleus, dianthus, echium, impatiens, linaria, lobelia, nicotiana, nigella, poppies, forget-me-not, snapdragons, sweet william.

Biennials and perennials: agapanthus, allium, alstroemeria, armeria, artemisia, astilbe, cerastium, columbine, daylily (hemerocallis), diascia, dicentra, echinacea, echinops, epimedium, euphorbia, ferns, feverfew (matricaria), foxglove, geum, grasses, hardy geraniums, hellebore, heuchera, iberis, lamb’s ears (stachys), lamium, lavender, marguerites, mint, mullein (verbascum), oregano, penstemon, polemonium, potentilla, pulmonaria, rudbeckia, salvia, santolina, saxifrage, scabiosa, Shasta daisy, valerian, veronica, vinca minor.

—Margaret