What's eating my clematis 'ville de lyon'?

Clematis 'Ville de Lyon' is a late-flowering viticella-type cut back hard each year, so the soft spring regrowth is the main vulnerability. Aphids colonise tender shoot tips, slugs and snails attack at ground level, and caterpillars occasionally chew summer foliage. Regular checks from March onward keep damage minor.

Sticky, twisted new shoots; green or black colonies clustered at growing tips Squash by hand or spray with insecticidal soap; neem oil works well as a preventive

Chewed stems and leaves at the base; young plants can lose all new growth overnight Iron phosphate pellets, coarse grit mulch, and nightly hand-picking in wet conditions

Holes in leaves and sometimes skeletonised sections on summer foliage Hand-pick caterpillars; apply Bt spray for persistent infestations; check undersides of leaves