We have so many slugs and snails in the garden that my one and only hosta is in a pot. If I planted it out anywhere, it would be in shreds in no time flat, because I can’t bear to kill anything – besides which, I’ve seen too many pets poisoned by slug bait to risk putting any down in my garden where Sid might get it.
So my hosta is destined to remain small and confined, but it is still beautiful.  And when it rains it is most beautiful of all, because those waxy leaves repel water so well that that raindrops are forced to sit there in lovely rounded droplets until they fall off or dry out. Perfect for Macro Monday, don’t you think?
You want to know how I keep the slugs and snails from climbing up the pot? Easy! I stand the pot in a large saucer of water, which they cannot cross. Luckily, hostas love soggy ground – they grow well as bog plants – so it’s a win-win situation!
I would love to have a whole border of these lovely plants, but … oh, well. Life is all about compromise, is it not? And why should I have a pretty garden at the expense of those who actually live in it, all year round?
Terrific shot! Water drops are always a winner!
Beauty!
Thats lovely! I have a slug and snail problem too…
I don’t have a problem with slugs or with my hostas at all. I just let the slugs do whatever they please, as long as they promise to then stay out of my big garden!
Love the water droplets. If only they would stay there instead of coming from above so very often…
I wish you could come over and dig up some of my hosta. I have too many! But they are beautiful, and I love your photo. We don’t have a slug problem here, but the bunnies sure do love to nibble on the leaves.
Oh I just love the rain on the hosta! You have inspired me to go dig up and rescue my whisp of a hosta that is still in the garden but unfortunately almost toast due to the dog! I had thought it committed but I will try potting it!
My hostas are taking over my garden, despite all the slugs that I can’t kill. I might have to go in and remove some of them, but I don’t really want to do that either, since it means killing some of the hostas. Perhaps I shall just leave it as it and let nature take its course. The neighbours might not like this though, since they are trying to sell their house and want everything looking all neat and tidy. Ooooops.
Oh I adore hostas..yours is stunning and the water droplets are divine! What a delicious shot!!!! Glad you saved this one to share!! Sarah
What did you use to get those water droplets so neat and tidy in that little row? I wouldn’t put it past you to use a syringe and tiptoe through the garden to make a nice and arty pattern.
Can’t kill slugs either, although I do very often when I walk through the garden in the dark. All the pops and cracks I hear, yuck. And I do love hostas and have lots of them in the garden. Hence our popularity with the slug and snail population. My hostas look lovely in springtime and very early summer. Now they look like lace. Which could be lovely. But isn’t. Who cares. There are worse things
Again a beautiful photo though.
That’s a beautiful photo. I’m a hosta freak- I’ve many varieties of them in all along the edge of the yard, tucked under trees.
Beatiful photo !
I too had armies of snails in my garden eating up everything. I had to put a product not dangerous for my cats. The next day I found at least 50 shells and there are even more. Unbelievable !
BPOTW and Sistertex – Thank you!
Kate – Is there anyone in England who doesn’t?
Mara – Ah, but they have to come from above to land on the leaves, don’t they?
You are lucky to have no problems with slugs and snails. Maybe if I plant hundreds of hostas I simply won’t notice the nibbled bits?
JD – I’d love to help you out with your hostas! I might have a little trouble getting them past customs though. LOL!
Rabbits we don’t have – possibly because a fox visits our garden regularly!
Jessie at Blog Schmog – Thank you!
Yes, you should try potting it! Remember to sit it in water so the slugs can’t get to it!
DBM – It’s a quandary, isn’t it? I’d leave ‘em.
Sarah – Thank you so much for your very kind comments! All I did was take the picture – nature did the rest!
Carolina – It’s a calumny!! I did nothing of the sort! I just noticed that they were sitting there like that and ran for my camera – honest! LOL!
Yes, they do get a bit ragged once the slugs and snails find them, don’t they?
Secret Agent Woman – Now, see, that’s what I would like! I have a long and very shady border which would look stunning planted up with hostas – I’m not sure how wet it will be during the summer though … we’ve just had some drainage put in because it was waterlogged. *Sigh* Would have been perfect for them, huh?
Gattina – Thank you! But what did you find that wouldn’t hurt your cats? I’d be interested to know!
It’s a lovely Macro shot! Funny, I have just taken a series of macro shots of a large fly laying on it’s back. It was it’s last moments of life! Is that wicked of me?
They do look amazing after the rain don’t they? A little too dry in Sydney unless well watered but my slug and snail repellents seem to find breakfast without trying too hard. I have blue tongue lizards in my garden and not a snail to be seen (although I see their empty shells around quite a bit!) Hmmm. . I rarely post on a Monday so might just have a go at this one.
Excellent macro shot!
Lovely shot. I wish I had a nice shady spot for hostas… my parent have quite a few.
Yes, you are right. They are ISO, speed and aperture settings for the camera. More importantly, all three sets of combination gave the same exposure. Love your photo of water drops on the hosta.
Oh, I love hostas, and this is a spectacular shot! I love how the water drops line up like that…
That is a completely stunning photograph. I didn’t know slug repellant is so toxic. I’m grateful to learn that.
Super duper macro monday contribution!
Clever technique for keeping slugs and snails. Thanks for taking my ID challenge!
Love the waterdrops, they always make a picture standout.
I love hostas as well Jay and have had to keep mine in pots. Your photo is beautiful. A x
It’s a beautiful shot Jay!! Last year I did a series of macro’s of my Hosta a little later in the season. The leaves had began to turn yellow, and some of the leaves had holes in them because of the snails. It made an interesting series. And yesterday I did a photo shoot with a snail! LOL!
Thanks for the tip about the pot, I did not know that, and my Hosta is in a pot too, for the same reason! Although I must admit I did use a little bit of poison this year, I sprinkled some in the pot at the beginning of the season, and the leaves are so close together the cat won’t reach it. Yeah, I know, I hate killing living creatures too, but if I don’t, we get an invasion of snails. Sometimes a girl’s got to do what a girl ‘s got to do!! LOL! Have a great day Jay, and thanks for visiting me too!
Beautiful shot! I think I can see your reflection in one of the droplet!
Exquisite shot, perfectly composed. I have good luck with cheap import beer, dutch is fine, not additive-laden US commercial beers. I put maybe quarter or half an inch of beer i a tuna can, adding water is fine, and they LOVE it and crawl in and drown a happy death. No poisons involved.
Thanks so much for visiting!
Sara Chapman in Seattle, USA´s last blog ..Red, red rose for Ruby Tuesday
WOW THAT IS ONE AMAZING SHOT!!
and love how you capture does drops!
?¨`*•.?LOVE IT?.•*¨`?
Thanks for sharing!
Have a Lovely?Day!
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See ya!?!
Babs – It’s the sort of thing I would do! I mean, unless you were planning a little fly CRP (unlikely!) then there was nothing you could have done, other than hasten his end. Why not get a macro or two out of the situation?
Baino – I need some blue-tongued lizards!! We do have the occasional hedgehog, but it seems that they end up squashed flat on the road sooner or later, poor things. We have thrushes, who do what they can, but there are just too many for them.
Birgitta and Maureen – Thanks! Yes, they do need shade.
Grace & Bradley – I thought that was probably it, but I was just too tired to work out if it was true, so I thought I’d better say nothing and not embarrass myself! LOL!
Liz – Thanks! I couldn’t resist, when I saw those droplets lined up!
Ruth – The problem is that the manufacturers often bill it as ‘pet friendly’ when what they mean is ‘your pet is unlikely to eat it because it’s not very palatable to mammals’, but some animals will eat anything, then they get poisoned. The bait I saw in poisoning cases most often was metaldehyde. It lowers the metabolism to the point that they just die, and we couldn’t do a thing about it. Cats mostly ate that one. I have no idea why. I’d check the packaging carefully, and then check with an online source about the main ingredient.
Gallicissa – Thank you! Your own photos are quite stunning, so I am honoured! I passed your site URL on to a friend, too. It’s wonderful!
Tanya and S J Anne – Thank you! You are both very kind.
Jientje – Oh, that would be interesting too! You get a few veins left, don’t you, when they eat through. Lace … Hmm .. you have given me an idea!
Snails around here get flying lessons, when we find them – in other words, tossed over the hedge into the farmer’s field next door! Nice soft landing. :p
Jama – Ha! I do believe you are right!
Sara Chapman in Seattle – Oh, yes, we used to use beer traps too! It works, doesn’t it? Now I just plant things they don’t want to eat, or put them into pots, like this hosta! The kids have left home, no more stale beer lying around. LOL!
Rocio – Thank you!
I loved your Macro Monday!
Me to have snails and slugs but they will surive, diffrent kind of hosta and yes in some they have a lot of holes.
Like your photo, like to have waterdropps on them.
Horses – I was away photo on o horse challeng last weekend.
And the bird, and your art work wiyh the camera and the light. MB
Maria Berg´s last blog ..Ordlös Onsdag – Engelsk
Water on leaves is always nice, check out my macro Monday for another on ewith waterdrops.
The answer to your Q – Yes it’s candy, hard ones with different flavours and shaped like frogs…or at least ment to be that
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Maria Berg – Lots of our plants have holes! I look for the insect or whatever has made them, then I get my camera!
Thanks for your comment!
Christina – Thank you!
I thought those candies looked a bit like frogs! LOL!
hosta with lovely beadwork
sandy´s last blog ..Thursday 13- 13 Zinger Combacks
I love your hosta! I’d never thought of planting one in a pot, and don’t know if it would survive a Chicago winter that way. I have quite a hosta collection, liking some better than others. I don’t have a huge problem with slugs, although they are there. I was going to tell you about the beer, but see someone already has. It supposedly works, but I don’t have the heart to do it! Don’t care to clean up the dead bodies, either!
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Sandy – Thank you!
Lin – You might have to protect it in some way if your winter is very harsh, I suppose. But if you have no problem with slugs, no need to worry!