8 Plants That Help Keep Slugs Away From Your Garden

Slug crawls on hosta leaf

We’re very familiar with the plants that slugs love. Hostas are at the top of the menu. Slugs also munch on cabbage, lettuce, beans, strawberries, many tender herbs, and all kinds of ornamental flowers. Surrounding plants with sand or diatomaceous earth isn’t reliable at keeping slugs away. The slugs will crawl right over as soon as it rains. This is why many people prefer to trap slugs and dispose of them in the mornings. The other option is to limit your garden to plants that slugs don’t like.

Another trick you can try: interspersing or surrounding your tastier plants with ones that slugs find repellent. Plants with textured leaves, a bitter flavor, and a strong odor often fit this category. Slugs have a keen sense of smell and will travel to find the foliage they like. Plants with strong-scented foliage can confuse slugs along the way.

While slugs don’t like the plants on this list, many have beautiful flowers, attract pollinators, or add flavor to our recipes. Try these eight plants that keep slugs away in your garden today.

Rosemary

Close up image of rosemary growing in a garden
  • Botanical Name: Salvia rosmarinus
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil Type: Well-draining, loamy
  • Soil pH: Acidic (5.8-6.8)

Rosemary’s piney scent and flavor don’t appeal to slugs. The thick, waxy leaves are also a deterrent. Intersperse the plants around your beans or greens to confuse slugs and snails.

Lavender

Lavender in a garden
  • Botanical Name: Lavandula angustifolia
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil Type: Poor, well-drained
  • Soil pH: Neutral to alkaline (6.0-8.0)

Lavender is another strongly scented herb that slugs don’t like to chew on. It may also repel mosquitoes. Pollinators, on the other hand, love to visit the flowers. Plant lavender on a mound in sandy soil near your more vulnerable vegetables and herbs.

Culinary Sage

Sage Plant
  • Botanical Name: Ocimum basilicum
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil Type: Well-draining, fertile
  • Soil pH: Neutral (6.5-7.0)

We believe culinary sage is delicious in roasted dishes, soups, and casseroles, but slugs don’t agree. Sage has a sharp, medicinal smell and hairy leaves that won’t attract slugs. Like lavender, this Mediterranean herb needs good drainage.

Zonal Geraniums

geranium
  • Botanical Name: Pelargonium spp.
  • Sun Exposure: Full
  • Soil Type: Well-drained, moist
  • Soil pH: Slightly acidic (6.0-6.8)

Whether you call them pelargoniums or zonal geraniums, slugs usually won’t eat this classic cottage flower. The fuzzy foliage has a peppery aroma that could repel them. You can also experiment with scented geraniums and the so-called mosquito plant, or citronella geranium.

Lady’s Mantle

Close-up of lady's mantle
  • Botanical Name: Alchemilla mollis
  • Sun Exposure: Partial to full shade, dappled sun
  • Soil Type: Moist, well-draining, rich
  • Soil pH: Acidic to slightly alkaline (5.5-7.5)

Lady’s mantle is a vigorous groundcover for part shade that slugs won’t touch. Deer don’t like the velvety foliage either. Don’t plant lady’s mantle in wooded areas where it could seed and take over.

Artemisia (Wormwood)

Silver Mound Artemisia
  • Botanical Name: Artemisia spp.
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil Type: Dry to medium, well-draining, average fertility
  • Soil pH: Slightly acidic to alkaline (6.5-8.0)

Artemisia is used as a mosquito repellent in some parts of the world. Slugs prefer to avoid the bitter, medicinal oils in the leaves. Silver artemisia plants make a beautiful groundcover in dry, sunny locations.

Catmint

Catmint
  • Botanical Name: Nepeta x faassenii
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
  • Soil Type: Well-drained
  • Soil pH: Acidic, neutral, or alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Catmint repels more than slugs—aphids and squash bugs don’t like it, either. On the other hand, catmint’s long-lasting blooms will attract butterflies to your garden. Plant the clumps along a sunny or partly sunny border.

Chives

Chives
  • Botanical Name: Allium schoenoprasum
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial sun
  • Soil Type: Well-drained, sandy, or loamy
  • Soil pH: Slightly acidic (6.0-7.0)

Allium plants like chives don’t appeal to slugs. The foliage has an oniony flavor and scent that can confuse pests. Choose a mature plant, as young and tender foliage can still be susceptible to attack.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR