What's eating my hydrangea 'annabelle'?

Hydrangea 'Annabelle' (arborescens) is an outdoor garden shrub with large white flower heads. Aphids on soft spring shoots are the most frequent pest. Slugs and snails damage emerging growth. Deer will graze the succulent new shoots and buds. Rose chafers and Japanese beetles chew petals and leaves in summer.

Soft colonies massed on new shoots and underside of young leaves; curled, distorted growth; sticky honeydew residue Spray with strong water jet to dislodge; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil; avoid over-feeding with nitrogen which encourages soft sappy growth

Ragged holes in young leaves and stems in spring; worst in wet conditions; slime trails present Apply ferric phosphate pellets around emerging shoots; use copper tape on containers; hand-pick after dark; mulch with bark chips to deter

Whole shoots and flower buds browsed cleanly, especially in early spring before alternative forage is available Install fencing at least 1.8 m tall; apply motion-activated deterrents; spray repellents on foliage, reapplying after rain

Petals and leaf tissue skeletonised between veins; adults cluster on blooms in midsummer (Japanese beetle primarily US) Hand-pick into soapy water; in the US, apply beneficial nematodes or milky spore to lawn soil to target grubs; avoid pheromone traps near valued plants