July 2024 in the northern hemisphere

[ruweiss]

Since this year we had no problems with slug damage at Campanula latifolia in
our meadow garden. Our friends warned us, but there was nothing at all in the
past years. Today we were shocked to see this plant after such an attack.
The photos show the same plant in full flower last month and the sad rest today.
We cannot remember such a wet season until now and are glad, that trees, shrubs
and especially conifers could recover from the dryness of the past years. It seems,
that snails and slugs also have a nice time.

[Jeffnz]

If the environment is o thier liking they will proliferate. May be application oif a slug bait maybe required, although this will not reverse damage that has alerady occurred.

[MarcR]

Since this year we had no problems with slug damage at Campanula latifolia in
our meadow garden. Our friends warned us, but there was nothing at all in the
past years. Today we were shocked to see this plant after such an attack.
The photos show the same plant in full flower last month and the sad rest today.
We cannot remember such a wet season until now and are glad, that trees, shrubs
and especially conifers could recover from the dryness of the past years. It seems,
that snails and slugs also have a nice time.

ruweiss,

Here, in Oregon, I am also experiencing a total absence of slugs and snails.
We had a very warm end of January [>80 F    >27 C] followed by snow in February and  a hard freeze in March  [<20 F   <-7  C]
Unfortunately the mollusks were not the only things killed.
 

[Véronique Macrelle]

the slugs have done a lot of damage here too, but they've left the Campanula trachelium, and attacked many other more delicate things like the leaves of my Arisaema for example, or all the flower stems of my iris formosana. i've never been able to see the flowers of this iris although it's well developed. it rains every 2 days on average, and slugs and snails have ideal weather!
 I've heard that when they sow rapeseed, they prefer to eat the seedlings... but I haven't tried that yet.
2 new plants for me:
Campanula pyramidalis, 170 cm
Strobilanthes atropurpurea or attenuata.
and the fascinating giant "leaves" (sorry, my translator couldn't find the precise English term for fern) of Woodwardia ungemmata.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

[Jeffnz]

I have no choice but to use slug bait, there is a pet safe version not quite as effective as other baits.

[Maggi Young]

and the fascinating giant "leaves" (sorry, my translator couldn't find the precise English term for fern) of Woodwardia ungemmata.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Véronique, we call those fern fronds  

[Véronique Macrelle]

ah yes! in French we also say ‘frondes’, but I had written ‘crosse’ translated as something else.

[ruweiss]

Marc, you are lucky to have no snail and slugs in your garden, but I think, that it is just a
matter of time until the populations recover again.
Mollusks simply belong to the nature and I normally don`t use plants in our meadow garden
which are their favourites. It is the first time, that Campanula latifolia was damaged in this way.
All the "better" plants are in our garden by the house, where we have a better control.

[Véronique Macrelle]

Slugs are a big problem here too this year, for example Cardiocrinum (4 shoots after last year's floraiosn) has never been able to make a leaf, and neither have the Meconopsis .
In other years too, but even more so this year. And I don't know why, the slugs like to eat the plants I like best... it's as if they do it on purpose.

 As a result, I've contracted a sort of psychological illness that I call ‘seedling retention’: in short, I don't dare plant any more of my seedlings and much-loved plants because the next day, there's nothing left of them!

How can I plant a young clematis in the ground when it needs it, with all those horned predators just waiting for it?
So, for my favourite plants, I've made mini-gardens in big pots, but I'm going on holiday for 2 weeks in August, so...

[Véronique Macrelle]

-Delphinium caucasicum: strange flowers. I sowed its seeds in February and it is already flowering.
-Gilia tricolor: a small annual that I like a lot; hardy, floriferous, I use it as a companion plant in my large pots, from semi to seed, 2 months are enough, and maybe less!
-Maurandya barclayana, very slow to grow at first after germination, but now it exceeds 2 m! very graceful.

[Véronique Macrelle]

-Clematis viorna[/i]: 3 years maintaining the seed pot to finally get germination, then another 3 or 4 years to get a vigorous plant. Last year, its first 2 flowers weren't very pretty, small and not too well formed. If I hadn't had so much trouble seeing it germinate, I might have thrown it away!
Fortunately, I gave it another year.

[ashley]

That's lovely Véronique.  Worth the wait 😎

[MarcR]

-Delphinium caucasicum: strange flowers. I sowed its seeds in February and it is already flowering.
-Gilia tricolor: a small annual that I like a lot; hardy, floriferous, I use it as a companion plant in my large pots, from semi to seed, 2 months are enough, and maybe less!
-Maurandya barclayana, very slow to grow at first after germination, but now it exceeds 2 m! very graceful.

Véronique,

The Delphinium caucasicum is indeed unusual; but, very attractive.  Your Gilla tricolor is very different from mine.  Mine has a blush pink flare and a centerr that is almost maroon.