In the garden this week: Slug alert! Plus, pond life

Slug alert You need belt, braces and perhaps even suspenders if you want to beat the slugs at this time of year. Beer traps (washing-up bottle, hole cut in side, sunk a little, but with the hole an inch or so above soil level, then filled with beer), organic pellets, cut-off plastic bottle collars and late-night patrols with scissors or a bucket of salty water should be part of your armoury if you have seedlings or young plants. Otherwise, you may as well rip up your seedlings and pop them on a little plate. Pond life Water is warming and it is time to plant your pond with water lilies if you want a display of their serene blooms come summer. Try white-flowered Nymphaea pygmaea 'Alba' for a tub, or floriferous and deep red Nymphaea 'Froebelii' for a small pond. Use an upturned bucket or a stack of bricks to hold the pot near the surface at first, then gradually lower it over the following month.