Blighted By Slugs? Dan Ori Suggests These Plants Are Generally Resistant

brown slugs eating the leaves of a kidney bean plant

By ELIZABETH WADDINGTON / Updated September 21st, 2024
Reviewed By DAN ORI / Meets Our Editorial Guidelines

Slugs can be a real pain for some gardeners, especially those that live in areas with a lot of precipitation.

However, even where slugs are found prolifically, it is possible to have a beautiful and productive garden.

The first thing to remember when gardening and coping with slugs and snails is that we do want some of these creatures in our gardens.

No matter how much of a pest they may seem, they are still an important part of the food chain and crucial to the local ecology.

If we have some slugs around, then you should also have some of the creatures that eat slugs, which will keep their numbers down.

Arion vulgaris slug eating the leaves of a Solanum tuberosum plant

So, the best way to deal with a slug problem in an organic garden is to welcome in as much wildlife as possible – to boost biodiversity and also attract the predators that help to keep the local slug population under control, so they don’t munch their way through your precious plants.

However, in most organic gardens where slugs are found, you will have an odd problem here or there with these pests.

Fortunately, there are plenty of plants that slugs will not find appetizing at all, which will be perfectly safe with these creatures around.

I tend to find that most trees, shrubs and grasses will not be troubled by slugs at all, but when it comes to herbaceous plants, you may need to be more selective.

Here are thirty plants that, in my experience, slugs won’t eat (or are far less likely to munch on) that you might consider for your garden:

1) Ajuga reptans

Ajuga reptans with purple flowers and red stems

COMMON NAME(S): bugle
HARDINESS RATING: H7
FOLIAGE: evergreen
FLOWERS: blue
SUNLIGHT: part shade

A great plant for shade, Bugle has robust foliage that won’t typically be favoured by slugs, as well as attractive flowering spikes that bloom from late spring to mid-summer.

It will work well on the ground as ground cover or even in containers where slugs may have been a problem.

2) Alchemilla mollis

serrated leaves covered in water from a lady's mantle plant with light green flowers

COMMON NAME(S): lady’s mantle
HARDINESS RATING: H7
FOLIAGE: deciduous
FLOWERS: yellow
SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade / full shade

Lady’s Mantle, as this plant is commonly known, can be a good, low-maintenance choice for a range of settings.

It makes wonderful ground cover in sun or shade and is generally another option that is untroubled by slugs.

Gardening expert Dan Ori shares that this subtle but attractive plant will thrive in a wide range of growing conditions:

“I find Alchemilla particularly useful as an alternative to Hosta which are often decimated by slugs.”

3) Allium

allium 'Globemaster' with globular clusters of tiny purple flowers atop tall stems

COMMON NAME(S): ornamental onion
HARDINESS RATING: H6
FOLIAGE: deciduous
FLOWERS: purple
SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade

Alliums in flower beds or in a vegetable patch also tend to be avoided by slugs in a garden.

Their strong taste and pungent smell discourages these garden pests where other more palatable plants are available.

“Although there has not been extensive study into slug reactions to Alliums, our best understanding is that the sulfuric compounds in Alliums are unpalatable to them,” explains Dan.

Therefore, ringing a bed with onions or garlic can help to keep slugs and a number of other pests out of a vegetable garden.

4) Aquilegia vulgaris

purple flowers growing on tall green stems of an Aquilegia vulgaris plant

COMMON NAME(S): common columbine
HARDINESS RATING: H7
FOLIAGE: deciduous
FLOWERS: blue and purple
SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade

Aquilegia is a shade-tolerant option that will not tend to be bothered by slugs, so could be a good choice for naturalistic planting in dappled shade.

Another good thing about Aquilegia is that it self-seeds readily.

5) Astilbe

Astilbe japonica 'Montgomery' with red flowers growing in panicles

COMMON NAME(S): astilbe
HARDINESS RATING: H7
FOLIAGE: deciduous
FLOWERS: pink, white and purple
SUNLIGHT: part shade / full sun

The vibrant plumes of Astilbes really brighten up a shady spot and, fortunately, the slugs that might also congregate in such shady areas will not tend to go near them.

These dramatic plants add height to growing areas and are typically largely hassle-free when grown in the right location.

6) Astrantia major

star-shaped creamy flowers of a Astrantia major plant with serrated leaves

COMMON NAME(S): greater masterwort
HARDINESS RATING: H7
FOLIAGE: deciduous
FLOWERS: green, pink and white
SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade

Another great plant to position under trees in a moist soil, Astrantia major is another plant commonly considered to be slug-proof.

Their leaves are typically ignored by slugs, while their flowers attract plenty of bees and other pollinators.

7) Borago officinalis

Borago officinalis with purple fuzzy stems bearing blue flowers

COMMON NAME(S): borage
HARDINESS RATING: H5
FOLIAGE: deciduous
FLOWERS: blue
SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade

Borage has furry foliage that can fortunately be off-putting to slugs.

Therefore, plant Borage in your vegetable garden and it may help to deter slugs from damaging the tastier, more tender young vegetable crops beyond.

Borage can also be useful in an ornamental bed and it is edible as well as beautiful.

8) Campanula

pink bell-shaped flowers from a Campanula punctata shrub with red stems

COMMON NAME(S): bellflower
HARDINESS RATING: H5-H7
FOLIAGE: varies
FLOWERS: blue, purple, pink and white
SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade

Campanula are another slug-safe plant to consider.

There are both annuals and perennials in this genus, some growing very tall and others great for ground cover, so you may well find several varieties that slugs won’t eat that are suited to your garden and your design needs.

9) Cichorium endivia

Cichorium endivia 'Natacha' with curly green leaves that have serrated edges

COMMON NAME(S): endive
HARDINESS RATING: H6
FOLIAGE: evergreen
FLOWERS: blue
SUNLIGHT: full sun

An edible that produces tasty green leaves, this plant is best grown in full sun and is typically avoided by slugs and snails.

10) Symphytum officinale

common comfrey with lanceolate leaves and tiny blue flowers

COMMON NAME(S): common comfrey
HARDINESS RATING: H7
FOLIAGE: deciduous
FLOWERS: cream, yellow, pink and purple
SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade

This is a plant I grow extensively for making homemade fertiliser.

I find that Comfrey may occasionally have a little slug damage but most commonly, this is another plant that slugs will tend to avoid in favour of more tender-leaved plants.

It can be useful in a garden in many different ways and can also be used as a mulch or liquid feed material.

11) Cyclamen hederifolium

Cyclamen hederifolium with green leaves veined with white and purple flowers atop yellow stems

COMMON NAME(S): ivy-leaved cyclamen
HARDINESS RATING: H5
FOLIAGE: deciduous
FLOWERS: pink
SUNLIGHT: part shade

These hardy cyclamen flowers in the early spring and in the late autumn when there is little else in bloom.

They are another excellent choice, even for slug-infested zones underneath trees or shrubs or in a shady garden border.

12) Digitalis purpurea

purple bell-shaped blooms of a foxglove plant growing along tall thin stems in front of a rocky backdrop

COMMON NAME(S): common foxglove
HARDINESS RATING: H7
FOLIAGE: deciduous
FLOWERS: purple
SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade

Foxgloves are not only unpalatable for slugs, but can actually be toxic to them.¹

Slugs will avoid eating the leaves – so any foxgloves, even in a slug-infested garden, will usually be entirely safe.

13) Erigeron karvinskianus

pink and white daisy-like flowers with yellow centres from Mexican fleabane plants

COMMON NAME(S): Mexican fleabane
HARDINESS RATING: H5
FOLIAGE: semi-evergreen
FLOWERS: pink, purple and white
SUNLIGHT: full sun

With daisy-like blooms, Mexican Fleabanes make great ground cover plants and are usually avoided by pesky slugs.

14) Euphorbia

Euphorbia rigida with cup-shaped yellow flowers and lanceolate pale green leaves

COMMON NAME(S): spurge
HARDINESS RATING: varies
FOLIAGE: varies
FLOWERS: varies
SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade / full shade

Euphorbias are not eaten by slugs, as they exude a milky sap that seems to be unpalatable to slugs.²

There are a huge range of different Euphorbias that you might consider growing in your garden.

15) Ferns

Asparagus plumosus with fuzzy green foliage growing from a bronze pot

COMMON NAME(S): fern
HARDINESS RATING: varies
FOLIAGE: mainly evergreen
SUNLIGHT: part shade / full shade

Many ferns, of course, love shady and moist environments where slugs will also thrive.

Fortunately, ferns will typically not be bothered by slugs or snails at all and can be excellent low-maintenance choices for the right spot.

16) Fuchsia

Fuchsia magellanica with drooping pink flowers and pale green leaves

COMMON NAME(S): fuchsia
HARDINESS RATING: varies
FOLIAGE: deciduous or semi-evergreen
FLOWERS: varies
SUNLIGHT: full sun or part shade

Large or small, Fuchsias are another plant unpalatable to slugs.

There are, of course, different fuchsias to choose from, some hardier and some tender, but I find that all of them tend to be more or less ignored by these slimy pests.

17) Geranium

purple flowers from geranium 'Orion' plants growing in a drift

COMMON NAME(S): cranesbill
HARDINESS RATING: H6-H7
FOLIAGE: deciduous
FLOWERS: varies
SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade

Hardy geraniums, also known as Cranesbills, are another type of flowering plant that slugs will tend to avoid.

And, since these can be such hardy and reliable plants, there will definitely be at least one variety to suit your particular garden conditions.

Planting these as ground cover below and around susceptible plants can often help to keep them safe.

18) Hellebore

Helleborus hybridus with pink flowers and yellow stamens atop tall stems

COMMON NAME(S): Christmas rose
HARDINESS RATING: H7
FOLIAGE: semi-evergreen or deciduous
FLOWERS: varies
SUNLIGHT: varies

There are many different Hellebores that you might consider growing in your garden for blooms over the winter months.

Helleborus x hybridus with its large, leathery leaves, is one choice that will not typically be bothered by slugs.

19) Heuchera

Heuchera 'Can-Can' with purple curled leaves and silvery markings

COMMON NAME(S): coral bells
HARDINESS RATING: H6
FOLIAGE: evergreen
FLOWERS: varies
SUNLIGHT: full sun

Also known as Coral Bells, Heucheras are practically slug-proof.

These foliage plants can be wonderfully attractive throughout the year and many also have attractive flowering spikes in the summer.

20) Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris

a climbing hydrangea shrub with ovate leaves that have serrated edges and creamy green clusters of flowers

COMMON NAME(S): climbing hydrangea
HARDINESS RATING: H5
FOLIAGE: deciduous
FLOWERS: white
SUNLIGHT: full sun / full shade / part shade

This Climbing Hydrangea is a great choice for covering a wall or fence – with the added benefit that it is also pretty much slug-proof and will not be eaten.

Other woody Hydrangeas are also on the longer list of many shrubs largely offputting to slugs.

21) Anemone japonica

Anemone japonica 'Prinz Heinrich' with pink flowers and yellow centres

COMMON NAME(S): Japanese anemone
HARDINESS RATING: H7
FOLIAGE: deciduous
FLOWERS: pink and white
SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade

There are a number of Japanese Anemones that can make a good choice for ground cover – though they can be invasive in some soils and conditions, in which cases they may be best grown in containers.

22) Lavandula angustifolia

an English lavender shrub with tall purple flowering spikes

COMMON NAME(S): English lavender
HARDINESS RATING: H5
FOLIAGE: evergreen
FLOWERS: purple and blue
SUNLIGHT: full sun

Like other shrubby, Mediterranean herbs, Lavender is not usually bothered by slugs or snails.

Both the woody growth habit and the oily, strong-tasting leaves make it one they will avoid.

So, this is a great choice if you have a suitable sunny and free-draining spot in which to grow it, either in containers or in the ground.

23) Tropaeolum majus

Nasturtiums with orange flowers growing in front of a wooden fence

COMMON NAME(S): nasturtium
HARDINESS RATING: H3
FOLIAGE: deciduous
FLOWERS: orange, red and yellow
SUNLIGHT: full sun

Nasturtiums make a great companion plant for a vegetable garden for a range of reasons, and one of those reasons is that slugs tend to avoid eating the peppery leaves, meaning that they are left for us to enjoy eating ourselves.

24) Penstemon

Penstemon 'Apple Blossom' with pink flowers growing along tall thin stems

COMMON NAME(S): Penstemon
HARDINESS RATING: H3-H4
FOLIAGE: varies
FLOWERS: varies
SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade

Penstemons are wonderfully attractive foxglove-like flowers that can look great in many different beds and borders.

They are a staple of cottage gardens and while they’re very attractive to bumblebees, they will not attract slugs and should typically remain safe from their predations.

25) Pulmonaria

a pulmonaria plant with spotted cream-coloured variegation on the leaves and pale purple-blue flowers

COMMON NAME(S): lungwort
HARDINESS RATING: H6
FOLIAGE: deciduous
FLOWERS: white, pink and blue
SUNLIGHT: full sun / part shade

With their thick and hairy leaves, Pulmonaria tends not to be bothered by slugs either.

The adaptation of the leaves means that you can usually get away with growing these even where there are a lot of slugs around.

26) Salvia rosmarinus

Salvia rosmarinus shrub with thin waxy leaves and pale blue flowers

COMMON NAME(S): rosemary
HARDINESS RATING: H4
FOLIAGE: evergreen
FLOWERS: blue, purple and white
SUNLIGHT: full sun

Another herb for your Mediterranean herb garden, rosemary is another practically bullet-proof plant that should help keep slugs away.

As long as you provide it with deep soil, free-draining conditions and enough sun, it should be an easy and relatively low-maintenance plant to grow.

27) Saxifraga × urbium

London pride plant with waxy spiky leaves and thin red stems doting tiny star-shaped pink flowers

COMMON NAME(S): London pride
HARDINESS RATING: H5
FOLIAGE: evergreen
FLOWERS: pink and white
SUNLIGHT: full shade / part shade

This is a plant that slugs won’t tend to eat that can be planted to create ground cover around more vulnerable plants.

While protection definitely won’t be 100%, this should help at least to a degree with a mollusc problem.

28) Sedum

Hylotelephium 'Bertram Anderson' with pink flowers and red leaves

COMMON NAME(S): stonecrop
HARDINESS RATING: varies
FOLIAGE: evergreen
FLOWERS: varies
SUNLIGHT: full sun

Sedums are one of a number of succulents that are also untroubled by slugs.

The large, swollen leaves of succulents are not ones that slugs will want to eat, so they will leave them alone.

29) Sempervivum

Sempervivum montanum with rosette-forming green and red leaves

COMMON NAME(S): houseleek
HARDINESS RATING: H5-H7
FOLIAGE: evergreen
FLOWERS: pink and yellow
SUNLIGHT: full sun

Sempervivums might also be grown in some gardens and are another type of succulent that slugs won’t eat.

So, where you have suitable growing conditions, growing succulents is another direction that you can take.

30) Stachys byzantina

Stachys byzantina with furry silvery-green lanceolate leaves growing between rocks

COMMON NAME(S): lamb’s ear
HARDINESS RATING: H7
FOLIAGE: evergreen
FLOWERS: purple
SUNLIGHT: full sun

Also known as Lamb’s Ear, this tactile plant, with its fuzzy or woolly leaves, is a great choice for dry, gravel gardens, rockeries or other free-draining settings.

Wool carder bees use the hairs from the leaves to make their soft nesting chambers, but these same hairs keep slugs and snails away.

References

1
Wong, J. (2018, June 10). Outwit your slugs: choose the plants they hate. The Guardian. Retrieved June 9, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jun/10/outwit-your-slugs-choose-the-plants-they-hate
2
Keep Away From Spurge Sap. (n.d.). Poison Control. Retrieved June 9, 2023, from https://www.poison.org/articles/keep-away-from-spurge-sap-222