Problems

This may sound like a stupid question, but what can be done about slugs and
snails in your flower beds?  I put down slug bate around most of my iris
beds a few weeks ago and found well over fifty slugs and snails the next
day.  Most of them were not dead yet and were very fat from eating my iris
flowers.  They don't seem to like the leaves very much, but almost every
bloom I've had (about 15 so far) they have eaten atleast part of every
bloom.  It has been raining around here lately, so I have had to put the
slug bate down several times.  It keeps washing away and the slugs return to
my plants.  Is there something else I should be doing.  They are destroying
my beautiful flowers.

I had written earlier that I had a red iris that I was unable to identify.
Bill Smooth suggested that I bring a bloom to the SLI show.  I had about
three blooms on Friday, but by Sunday the slugs had eaten all of my blooms.
It rained on Friday, and the slug bate I had put down did not seem to stop
those slimy little things.  By the way, I believe my red iris may be Ann's
Child.  The pot they came in had AC written on it.  The flower looked
similar to Creole Flame, but mine might have been a little darker.  Do I
sound like I am close at all?

I also have another problem, RUST.  I have cut off the infected leaves and
sprayed  my Louisiana irises my Louisiana irises with orthenex.  I don't
know if the rain washed the fungicide away or what the problem is.  HELP!
My bearded irises seem to be uneffected by anything.  The slugs pretty much
stay out of that bed and there is not a speck of rust on any of their
leaves.  Can rust be transmited from one type of plant to another.  It is
strange, my Louisiana and Dutch irises in the front yard do not have rust
(and if any of them do, it's very little and has been controlled).  But, my
Louisiana irises in the backyard (located near my beared irises) are
infested with rust.  Why just those?  I am perplexed.  If anyone can offer
assistance it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Janet Burleigh
Baton Rouge, LA

PS to Bill Smooth
Sorry I didn't get to see you at the SLI show.  I must say I was very
disappointed in the show.  I'm glad I didn't have to drive very far to the
show.  I'm also glad the show wasn't the only reason I was in Lafayette.  We
went through the show in less that 15 minutes.  I was glad that I was
finally able to see what the flowers actually looked like.  I had seen the
names several times, but wasn't sure what the flower looked like.  As for
how I came to join the AIS and SLI, I have a book called "Gardening By
Mail".  I've been a member of both since only December.
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