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Gardening

Cowslips

(35 Posts)
BlueBelle Sat 02-Jun-18 13:14:05

Any knowledge welcomed I have a self set cowslip which has now produced loads of babies dotted around the area but not in the best place ( a lot on a pathway) they are all quite small two or three small leaves When would it be ok to move them to a better position I don’t want them to get walked on I love garden freebies but I don’t want to kill them off moving them ?
Thanks

BlueBelle Mon 04-Jun-18 17:48:37

Oh Nelliemoster how can you throw out the excess .....give them away I can’t bear to throw out any plant I m even loath to throw out pretty weeds ( I do though just)

Barmeyoldbat Mon 04-Jun-18 17:44:08

We have loads of compliments this year on our front lawn which had a huge mass of lovely cowslips spreading all over the lawn. I think we only planted a couple a few years ago.

Nelliemoser Sun 03-Jun-18 23:20:26

Cowslips are tough like Primroses. Mine were lovely in the spring. I could not stop admiring them.

I do what Tanith does and freecyled a swap of primroses for Cowslips and some other plants.
Or I just throw out the excess.

GabriellaG Sun 03-Jun-18 20:33:55

I pour salt on them. Hate the slimy devils.

loopyloo Sun 03-Jun-18 20:03:36

I am ruthless and kill them in salty water then bury them. Found loads today. They like hiding under smooth black plastic.

BlueBelle Sun 03-Jun-18 18:52:05

Haha I love the idea of blue snails returning home
I just find them greedy little buggers I have done the beer thing in the past but no one here to drink it now so I ll have to go out and buy a bottle at least they ll die ha ha hic happy

Purpleknight49 Sun 03-Jun-18 18:50:14

Mark snail shells with Tippex and yes they do come back!

nanasam Sun 03-Jun-18 18:46:26

Greengran I truly believe snails are 'homing' beasts. Someone did once, on a gardening forum of some sorts, put a dab of blue paint on the shell of the snails she threw over the wall - some of them returned to her garden more than once! Must be like frogs going back to their spawning ground!

acanthus Sun 03-Jun-18 18:22:53

Re. cowslips, if you want them to retain their integrity so to speak, don't plant them too near your gaily-coloured primulas as they will be cross-pollinated by helpful insects and you'll find some pink and red cowslips next spring.

Re. slugs, I heard someone recently saying she tramps round the garden at night with a torch and gathers them up before they can feast on her hostas. I think I'll just continue with the pellets....

muffinthemoo Sun 03-Jun-18 17:03:20

Beer traps!

You can get them ready made in garden centres/Amazon, or the internet is full of easy cheap tips to make your own.

They work really well!

Direne3 Sun 03-Jun-18 17:00:38

tug tub

Direne3 Sun 03-Jun-18 16:57:49

I can't kill anything. I collect snails & slugs (hate the stripey Spanish ones) and store them in plastic tug (punch holes in lid). My DH then takes them when he goes walking and releases them in a suitable place. Done this for many years but they keep coming. When we lived in our old house I thought it would be a good idea to release some 'the other side of the river' as we set off on holiday. However, they were forgotten until we got 200m away (Oxfordshire) so had to set them down on a grassy verge there (sorry for historic increase in your problem if you live in that county). grin

sparkly1000 Sun 03-Jun-18 16:50:54

Slugs and snails will not cross over a holly leaf, free and safe deterrents.

Grannycuddles Sun 03-Jun-18 16:43:45

Lager in a saucer. They can't resist and drown in it. What a way to go though ! ?

GreenGran78 Sun 03-Jun-18 13:41:09

I have a big area of common land just across the road from my house. I’m a big softy when it comes to killing things. I even rescue stranded worms from the pavement when I see them. My slugs and snails are all repatriated to the Common, but I have a feeling that some of them sneak back again. Does anyone know a way to put an identification mark on them, to check my theory?

nanasam Sun 03-Jun-18 12:17:47

I've never managed to train a slug or snail, Tessa, or get my dog to do it, think you're on the wrong thread! wink

Diggingdoris Sun 03-Jun-18 11:51:51

Yes pesky slugs are every gardener's headache. I find a mix of flour and water in a dish half buried in the border works a treat. They are drawn to the yeast, its safe to other wildlife/dogs/cats, just needs replacing every couple of days. Really cheap as well.

Tessa123 Sun 03-Jun-18 11:47:22

They are like young children suddenly all the training fits into place. Always remember dogs love to please there master so you can keep teaching them different things through most of there life.

seacliff Sun 03-Jun-18 11:46:24

grin

seacliff Sun 03-Jun-18 11:45:51

If you don't want to hurt them - Maybe if you feed them enough corn and bird seed, they won't eat your plants?!!

youngagain Sun 03-Jun-18 11:30:07

I am outside first thing in the morning with an old tweezers, some kitchen roll and a polythene sandwich bag. Snails and slugs get picked up with the tweezers, put in the kitchen roll, into the plastic bag and into the domestic waste bin. No mercy! Through the next couple of weeks the amount collected will get less and less if previous years are anything to go by. I do put slug pellets down when I first plant up the borders but by collecting the menaces I rarely need to put a second lot down unless it rains. Hope that helps.

lovebooks Sun 03-Jun-18 10:18:44

I came close to a very nasty accident via a snail a few days ago. I have a steep front doorstep with a lip, so you can't see what is directly underneath. I stepped down into invisible snail slime which is incredibly slippery, and felt myself sliding, feet forward and the rest of me backwards. Just managed to right myself, but scary.

lovebeigecardigans1955 Sun 03-Jun-18 10:05:40

I second all the advice already proffered here. Cowslips are lovely, as they've seeded themselves and are a native wild flower I'd imagine they'd be pretty hardy and they'll probably thrive.

BlueBelle Sun 03-Jun-18 05:35:51

It is isn’t it Springy, when Jane said she found 10 I think I find that in one pot! They are the bane of my gardening life ( those and pooing neighbours cats ) I must have the wrong plants I think

SpringyChicken Sat 02-Jun-18 23:49:35

It's a constant battle with snails here. I even put slug pellets on the clipped box bushes and hoards of snails have come out to eat them. Many sails live in shrubs. I step on every snail I can find, no mercy.