What's eating my dahlia 'karma choc'?

Dahlia 'Karma Choc', like all dahlias, is a magnet for slugs and snails on young growth, earwigs in the blooms, and aphids on shoot tips. Caterpillars and capsid bugs can also disfigure foliage. Slugs are the primary killer of newly planted tubers and emerging shoots.

Irregular holes in emerging shoots and leaves; slime trails; young plants can be completely destroyed overnight. Scatter wildlife-safe slug pellets (ferric phosphate); use copper tape around pots; go out at night to hand-collect.

Ragged holes in petals and leaves overnight; earwigs hide inside blooms during the day. Trap with damp newspaper rolls or upturned pots filled with straw; shake blooms into soapy water.

Soft colonies on growing tips; distorted buds and sticky honeydew attract ants. Spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil; introduce or attract aphid predators such as ladybirds and hoverflies.

Tiny brown puncture spots on young leaves that expand to ragged holes as the leaf grows. Difficult to control directly; remove weeds nearby; pyrethrin sprays at first sign of damage.