Kitchen Garden Forum

Every year my hostas get decimated by slugs and snails and I hate having to put down slug killer. But last year I accepted defeat, and split the bulbs of a self seeded Cuckoo Pint) (Lords & Ladies) plant as a substitute. I had wonderful foliage with attractive cream veins all through the summer and it has kept going all through the winter & spring too too, without a slug or snail in sight. I believe it's part of the Arum Lilly family. I don't know whether the red berries are poisonous, and it does spread so will need to be kept under control, but as an attractive green leafy plant I'm converted.

Dear Primrose, do keep a tight rein on it, as it does have a habit of growing in the most annoying places.
There seems to be an awful lot of it about this year.
But i thought the leaves of the Cuckoo Pint died down at the beginning of the summer.

Primrose
Your lords & ladies/ cuckoo pint is Arum Italicum or Maculatum, it comes under both names, when I bought mine some years it had a label Arum Italicum, a lovely plant for flower arrangering, I believe that the red berries are poisonus and like you said it grows all over the place.
Bren

Primrose
I forget to say I dont have much trouble with slugs on my hostas as I scatter crushed baked egg shells on and around them and some sharp grit.
Bren

Dear Primrose,
Arum I.P. is poisonous but it also is a plant with very irritating juices which cause you to itch for days. I would advise you to wear gloves and long sleeves before dealing with it.
I would also mention that the berries will spread the plant around extremely well so it might be an advantage to remove them before they break off the stem and roll all over.
If you fancy something else try bergenia cordifolia and vars, brunnera macrophylla and vars or alchemilla mollis.
Regards Sally Wright.

nemaslug - no more slugs!
Brilliant stuff

Thanks for the tips folks. I had noticed its capacity to spread - thought that was from the bulbs, but obviously I will make a point of cutting off the red berries and will perhaps pot them in containers in future. I didn't realise it could be an irritant. I haven't suffered so far but will take precautions in future.

Bonfire ash is also a deterrent to slugs. I put my hostas in pots. You can put a copper band round pots.

Primros

re Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies - be aware of the sexual connotations. Pint or Pintle is the same as the other P word. Also known as Willy Lily

Be warned

http://www.paghat.com/arum.html

Alan