‘Planet friendly’: RHS to no longer class slugs and snails as pests

Royal Horticultural Society says the gastropods play an important role' in maintaining a healthy ecosystem

• Pests? Gardeners need to rethink how they view slugs, snails and greenfly

Slugs and snails will no longer be classed as pests by the Royal Horticultural Society, despite their reputation as a garden menace.

Britain's leading garden charity says that although the gastropods are the garden visitor about which they receive most complaints, they should be considered an important part of the garden ecosystem.

Slugs love a young, vulnerable seedling, so transplant sturdy plantlets grown in pots. These can then be given some protection with cloches.

The leaf-munching creatures are excellent for compost heaps as they get rid of dead and decaying matter, helping turn your waste into lovely compost. So why not go out with a torch on a mild evening while the weather is damp, and hand pick slugs into a container? These can then be placed either into a compost heap, where they can feast on all your garden waste, or near less vulnerable plants.

Some gardeners do strategic planting, making sure to put plants slugs find delicious near their favourite plants so these are eaten instead.

Why not dig a pond to encourage frogs, which will do slug elimination for you without the guilt of setting down poison pellets or drowning them in beer. It's better for the ecosystem, too.

Encourage birds with a bird feeder - especially during spring when the young can be fed with a juicy snail.

Raking over soil and removing fallen leaves during winter can allow birds to eat slug eggs that have been exposed.