Sorry to hear of your losses. Have a look at this list of plants that slugs and snails seem to dislike.

In my own garden, they avoid Penstemons, Sedums, Dianthus, ornamental grasses, Lavender and Rosemary to name a few!

https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/20-slug-proof-plants/

I will need, in future, to try to avoid growing plants that the slugs love. Unfortunately, those tend to be the ones that seem to do well here. Rudbeckia, echinacea, helenium, geum, lupins, etc are all the sort of thingds I have grown this year.

Planting them out when the plants are larger is a little better, but time and nature don't always work in harmony! :( So, sometimes the plants are going out when they are litle but conditions are becoming too dry to keep them in pots. Especially since decent, moisture retaining compost is hard to find also.

Having a look at the list that you posted puzzled me a little. I am sure that the slugs have feasted on my hellebores and also think they have enjoyed an aquilegia or two. Hmmm?

Take a look at my garden photos not one slug scrape on a leaf. I am lucky enough to have room in my garden for several ponds one of which is devoted to frogs. My “army” (as I like to call them) of frogs keeps my garden clean of slugs. As I have said I am lucky in that I have the rare opportunity for natural control of these pests. Have you tried diatomaceous earth? I did not know that there was a ban on certain control measures in the UK since I live across the pond.

Could you encourage hedgehogs into your garden or create a habitat for toads & frogs? With the dry summer we’ve had in Shropshire, the slugs & snails have been thin on the ground. Also heard that if you water early morning and not in the evening the soil is dryer at night when they come out and so they struggle to move about. I do go out at night about once a week or if it’s damp or raining and have been able to nearly fill a bucket! I’ve given up on Lupins and my Hostas are in pots now so have had to adjust to minimize damage.

Loosestrife2 - in the UK, they have removed metaldehyde from slug bait. It is now illegal to sell bait containing this. It has been replaced with iron phosphate which I understand is effectively - pet food! Everything eats it before the slugs get a chance. Even when they do, it does not kill them but is intended to make them feel 'full' and deter them from eating plants. It fails spectacularly!

I don't really have space for a pond and it is also a big task to carry out. Plus, that would need to be done in several locations, I would imagine as they would not travel from back to front or the width of the gardens?

Amsterdam - I used to have a large area of heather in which a toad lived. I lifted this last year and unfortunately, the toad left with the heather. He was last seeing heading into a neighbour's garden. That was a shame as he was a bit of a help.

Hedgehogs are getting pretty rare, as we know. At least here they are. I think anything that I put out to encourage them is likely to be eaten by the various cats that prowl the garden after dark.

And, like you, some lupins are totally devastated. I end up cutting them back hard and letting them grow again. But of course, you do lose out on the flowers mostly.

I have found the new pellets to be successful for me. I put only a few under the leaves of the affected plants. My understanding is it stops them eating and they then burrow into the soil and die. I have certainly found dead slugs just below the surface.

I do grow the odd sacrificial plant for the snails to munch on. I also have frogs,newts and toads to help.

I've found the copper tape around pots to be effective as long as there are none of the beasties in the potting medium to begin with. Similarly, copper rings around young plants in the garden soil have worked too. Having said that, I'm always careful to ensure that there are no touching or overhanging plants that give the slugs a springboard on to the vulnerable young plants. I never kill anything in my garden but I can be sorely tempted by aphids!

Merlinbabydog - is the tape copper? I saw this yesterday and assumed it was some kind of sticky tape to deter the slugs. It may be worth a try then if it fits around young, small plants?

Seaburngirl - my understanding of the new type of bait is that it contains iron which causes the slugs to become constipated. That makes them feel full and deters them from eating. Eventually they die of starvation. However, I did not believe it was instantly. I understood it took some days to happen. It makes you wonder who thinks up these treatments, eh?

The iron poisons the snails and slugs, but it takes several days to actually kill them, maybe longer for the big old ones. Other things to do include laying out boards or rolled up newspapers to provide shelter from the sun--lift them up early in the morning, and scoop up the slimy tenants. They make great bird food!

Thanks, Tugbrethil. Not heard of the newspaper trick. It amy be worth a try........ once I find some newspapers. :)

Tug has a good idea.....lay out some scrap wood and wet the area with a watering can. The slugs will also lay their eggs in such areas too.