Meconopsis Horridula

People use far too many slug pellets - in a pot that size 6 pellets is enough!!! That poppy is very very attractive!

Thanks

Gorgeous poppy, wonder why it's called Horridula!

It's beautiful, and unusual ...

Thanks Louisa, yes the spikes are why :-))

Thanks Hywel :-)

I love it to Slad ,I was expecting something horrible instead it was something beautiful :o) I must keep an eye on my Meconopsis blue poppies when they start to bloom if the slugs are attacking them like that ,I haven't had that problem before ... you haven't got these nasty new Spanish slugs we have been warned about have you ? They are called ' Killer Slugs ' and are devouring everything in their path , crops ,vegetables even small animals , apparently the most effective method of killing them is to collect them by hand and then put them in a bucket of salty water with some detergent in it to break the surface tension and make them sink Yuk !! they are brown or reddish brown up to 15 cm long ...

Top plant Sl, good growing! :o)))

Oh groan...not another imported pest...I hate when that happens. Luckily they hardly ever come up here..too cold for them. I've yet to see a lily beetle, or a spanish slug for that matter. I love your horrid poppy Slad....my favourite colour too!

Thanks Amy, I've no idea what slugs these are, normal I think some are a browny red some black, I've seen a few yellow too, not had a problem as such with them with the frogs I have here but this year they have munched through loads of poppies the only thing is the pellets, they have even gone between the pellets to the plants unbelievable as it sounds...

Thanks Ph :-)

Thanks Karen, glad you like it :-)

Surreylad - I find doing a slug patrol at dusk each evening is the best way to reduce numbers. A pinch of salt on each one - they die horribly <evil laugh>

Lol Andrew cheers I do have a look around about 9 ish, but I might try the salt trick sounds a good idea..

I'm using a water on slug killer which you mix in to your watering can. It's tedious, and more expensive than salt, but I'm too squeamish for direct attack...I seem to be more of a chemical warfare killer!....that's scary when you think of it...but it does seem to work!

Karen is it a type of nematodes you use?

I like the poppy Slad despite its name.lol.

Lol thanks Stroller :-))

I think so Slad. It is called "slug killer" ...very imaginative eh?

Lol thanks I'll have a look around for it :-)

Half hourly patrols, throughout the night, armed with torch & tongs.
They get chucked over the trellis on to the wasteland beyond, where they have a 50/50 chance.
I can just see Andrew chuckling fiendishly, as he dispatches the gardeners' nemesis.

It is not horrid at all, in fact it is a pretty plant, so good luck with it.

Lol Mouldy, I already get strange looks from the neighbours on my hands and knees with a torch in the flower beds :-))

Thanks Dd I love it :-)

I love the colour - very pretty. As for slugs, I can't be doing with any new ones; enough to contend with existing British ones. I keep meaning to order my nematodes but haven't yet. In the years when I have got round to it, I've found the use of these natural predators to be pretty effective and far preferable to chemicals for me. It is a bit of a faff but worth it.
To be fair, the slugs haven't really caused too much damage yet here because everything's out of kilter and although it's been miserably cold and windy, dare I say it hasn't been that wet - rain forecast for tomorrow however.

I really don't like to use pellets Tuesdaybear as I have all the frogs here, but this year it's been real bad, so I may have to get some nematodes... Hope the weathers not to bad for you tomorrow.

Weather has been rubbish today and set to continue for rest of week. Grrrr, to quote the Beano. Going to order my nematodes tomorrow. Bought new garden journal today - well overdue - and started to record this year's gardening. Suppose every cloud has a silver lining as it wouldn't have been achieved, had it not been pouring down!

That's it always look on the bright side of things :-)

That's a very pretty flower - nothing horrid about it! The buds make me think of those Venus fly-trap plants ... pity they can't open up and swallow the slugs! I did a snail and slug patrol earlier and dispatched about twenty of them to the brown bin .........

Thanks Shirley, yes they do look like the fly traps I didn't notice before.. I am amazed this year at how many slugs there are about..

All shapes, sizes and colours too ... :o(((