The genial host of this meme is Jim who shares his garden ruminations and hosts the links every Saturday. Probably unwittingly, Jim also provides much inspiration and last week he spurred me on to do battle with the slugs. I finally had time to get in amongst the geraniums and discover their hideouts. Dozens upon dozens were dispatched. I doubt that the birds eat them at all. I felt my plants were a little safer but of course it is short lived. Regular slug patrols are required and I will do my best. In the meantime, and after more heavy rain, here’s six from the garden this week.
One
The scented leaf pelargoniums that suffered so much over Winter did pull through but have been slow to flower. This is the first week that there have been enough to enjoy. There are still others that look reluctant to join in.
Two
Well, well. What is this I spy? Salvia ‘Amistad’, growing behind the roses, has managed to claw it’s way back. Of course, there’s slug damage! Several were lost but there is hope that this one survivor will make some flowers and put on a good display for late summer.
Three
I asked around on Twitter about these webs. The conclusion is they are probably caterpillar webs but they could not be identified. They have settled in to what I think is a Cotoneaster Villosus, which leads to me wonder if it is the cotoneaster caterpillar, which are the larval stages of the Hawthorn moth. I’ll be trying to take a closer look to see if I can spot the caterpillars.
Four
Another survivor. I thought I had lost a rather lovely Hawkshead Fuschsia and I forged ahead and planted a gaura nearby. The fuchsia has fought back and is putting out good growth and some lovely white flowers. One or the other will probably have to be moved as I think they will be fighting for the space.
Five
The chilis in the greenhouse keep growing but are not ripening yet. Chili growers, can I pick these now and use them or will they ripen in the kitchen?
Six
Oh, I couldn’t resist it. Here’s another slug picture. This time the cucumbers are under attack. Two despatched.
I have now secured a meeting with the contractor for the new paths and Monday is the big day. I am itching to purchase the new plants for this plot and others to fill winter loss gaps but I must hold tight for another month or so. Storm Betty arrived with us late last night, that means flattened hollyhocks to be righted, fallen apples to be picked up and more slugs to be dealt with. Wishing you all a good gardening day as the sun reappears here.
n20gardener 
Good luck with all the slug patrolling, it seems like a never-ending task. Those chillies are huge! Mine are about fingernail size.
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Sooo many slugs. I’d rather the chillis didn’t get any bigger here! Never happy!!
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About chillies, if you pick them now they will be less hot but will not ripen any more. You can leave them on the plant for several more weeks and they will mature without any problem. It’s a variety with light colour fruits, it seems to me? Do you know the variety?
Speaking of caterpillars, look for Yponomeuta because they are caterpillars that tend to make this kind of web.
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They are Hungarian Wax. We have sunshine this week so I’ll be patient! I’ll look up that caterpillar too.
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To me, they look about ripe. I mean, that yellow color looks rather finished. Is it a variety that turns yellow early, before ripening?
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I didn’t know the variety, but now that I know they are Hungarian wax , they must be ripe
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? but don’t they turn orange and then red, or are those just different stages of ripeness? (I thought that Hungarian wax peppers were supposed to be yellow like that, but I do not know.)
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Interesting. The packet shows them as red. I’ve been waiting a while for them to turn though!!!
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Jalapeno peppers are typically shown as green, but I leave mine to turn red.
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I thought I had lost some of my scented leaved geraniums this year (they stay outdoors) but most have revived, and except for Mimosa, flowered. I might wrap some fleece around that pot this winter. I’ve found some large slugs this year too, they get thrown over the fence into the farmyard jungle, the smaller ones I snip in half. I know, everything in the garden has its place, but some plants do need help. My chilli plants haven’t even grown large enough to flower let alone produce fruit! I’m undecided as to whether to just compost them or try and keep them alive over winter in the hope of chillies next year… 🤔
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Difficult. Mine flowered late but I’ve had fruits for a few weeks now. I can’t bring myself to snip a slug! They go to the toads or the green bin where I have to keep sending them back to bottom until it gets emptied!!
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That’s good news regarding the return of a Salvia ‘Amistad’ and the Fuchsia. Slugs are a pain, although no longer a pest according the RHS. I’m not convinced.
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I’m collecting so many this year. Apparently the one on the cucumber was a good one – eats the dead stuff. On its way home after eating the flower…? !
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Lovely garden! You may use your peppers at any stage, just the taste with have a different profile. I am growing hot Hungarian (look like yours) and I am pickling them yellow, before they turn orange or red.
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Yes these are Hungarian Wax. Many thanks for the advice.
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Oh, so yellow is not done?
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They eventually turn orange then red
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After inquiring, I sort of figured that they must. I am unfamiliar with that variety. I remember that jalapeno peppers are harvested while green, but I prefer them when they are red. I dislike the texture of jalapeno anyway. The red ones develop a milder flavor and are not so rubbery.
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I like jalapeños for pickling, either green, or red and dried (chipotles). For fresh eating, raw or grilled, serranos are the choice in Mexico.
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Love your beautiful scented Pelargoniums! 🌸
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Thank you!
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I’ve also found that some plants are taking a long time to recover from the Winter weather, but at least they are returning. The fuchsia is lovely.
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Our son lives in Belfast and for the last couple of years their street trees have been full of caterpillar webs (I don’t know which sort). It looks very surreal. Your Chillis look like mine size-wise (mine were free with a magazine) and they have just started turning red so I’d give them a bit more time.
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Probably the same chillis! I’ll wait as the sun is here for the week!
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Yikes, that slug is huge! I’m in a similar quandary over when to pick peppers, since I bought them as vaguely labeled seedlings. Most sources seem to agree that it’s better to leave them on the plant to ripen and just wait for the color to get to what you’d like for eating. I might very well give into impatience and pick a couple next week though.
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I had a similar thought. Pick a couple and see how they do. It there’s a week of sunshine here so I’ll wait a bit.
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Have you heard of banana slugs? They are about the size and color of bananas. They look like they could do a lot of damage, but they only eat decomposing vegetation, mostly coastal redwood foliage. Not much else eats redwood foliage. It is so respected here that it is the mascot of the University of California at Santa Cruz. There is also a cucumber slug. It is related, and also only eats decomposing vegetation, so does no damage to the garden. As the name implies, it is about the size and color of cucumbers, sort of like a green banana slug. It is rare though.
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