Snails appear out of nowhere and pounce on our lovingly cared for plants. What has grown over many days can easily be destroyed in just a few hours. But these slimy crawlers are picky. Is the joint flower on your menu?
Do snails eat the joint flower?
The joint flower (Physostegia virginiana) is a snail-proof plant. It contains no toxic substances and has no thorny leaves, but snails do not seem to prefer its taste and avoid it in gardens.
The plant's own snail defense
Some garden plants survive a snail invasion unaffected, even if humans do not intervene to protect them. Hardly anything remains of other plants. Why is that?
Plants are intelligent inhabitants of the earth, many of them can defend themselves well against pests. When snails approach them, they have to do, among other things, the following defensive measures:
- toxic ingredients
- inedible and difficult to digest substances
- hairy leaves, stinging hairs or spines
The “tasteless” specimens
Even some plants that are not poisonous and have nothing else frightening about them are, as if by magic, spared from any snail plague.
The beauty of the flowers does not impress the snails; they choose the plants solely based on their preferred taste. Observations confirm again and again that many plant species ignore them.
Do we have to help the joint flower?
Joint flower, which botanically goes by Physostegia virginiana, is a strong-flowering perennial that has nothing to do with thorny leaves. Toxic substances are also foreign to her. Is that why she is at the mercy of the snails without our help?
No, the joint flower can keep its leaves and flowers. Unlike us humans, snails are not interested in them. No matter what time of year and where the flower grows, it is always snail-proof. Even if there is no “snail food” growing nearby.
Alternative for piebald gardens
Although many control measures have proven to be effective in practice, the snails still pose a danger to our plants. Until they are discovered and the measures take effect, they eat their way diligently through the garden.
If you keep having to deal with snail infestations, you can at least avoid having to worry about a part of your garden by planting joint flowers. This step is not difficult to miss, as wonderful flowers await you as a reward.
