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A plea rings out from gardeners across the country every year for a reliable control for slugs - something that will put an end to their slimy antics. Perhaps I'm in a lucky minority, but despite not having a pond my garden is hopping with frogs

It comes as no surprise to me that slugs and snails have been voted the most-hated garden pests in the Gardeners' World Awards. Surely no garden in the country can be immune from their devastating activities, unless it's a garden covered in concrete!Slugs

. Then one morning, a shadow, a brown shape...a hedgehog. Whoops!Released to continue feeding on my slugs (yes, even the editor of Gardeners' World Magazine has slugs in his garden - but not many!), the humane trap was reset, and the waiting continued

nigrescens, pictured above, looks stately and structural — a simple feature anyone could replicate.Growing hostas in pots is also great for anyone troubled by slugs and snails — and who isn't? In addition to H. nigrescens, I grow a host of other hostas

hope they've discovered a few more overwintering slugs and snails.Frost will certainly have proved beneficial to my clay soil. Left roughly dug in autumn the frost will have penetrated deeply, helping to break down the clay particles and making the soil

conditions encourage early fruiting, and if planted in hanging baskets, strawberry plants are less likely to be attacked by slugs and snails.Don't forget that cunning blackbirds, with their keen sense of smell, can find their way into greenhouses through open