What's eating my daylily?

Daylilies are tough garden perennials but have one devastating specialist pest: the daylily gall midge, which deforms flower buds in spring and early summer. Aphids and thrips also feed on buds and flowers. In the US, deer and rabbits readily browse the lush foliage, and slugs target emerging shoots.

Buds swell and deform without opening ('blind buds'); larvae are visible as tiny white maggots inside dissected buds; mainly a problem in the UK and Europe Remove and destroy all distorted buds before the larvae exit to pupate in soil; do not compost affected buds; there are no effective insecticides for the larval stage inside buds

Colonies on stems and buds; sticky honeydew; buds may fail to open or open misshapen; virus transmission possible Knock off with a strong water spray; use insecticidal soap; attract natural predators such as ladybirds (ladybugs) and parasitic wasps by planting nearby nectar plants

Silvery, streaked or bronzed scarring on petals and buds; tiny dark insects visible when the flower is shaken over white paper Remove and discard heavily damaged blooms; apply spinosad or insecticidal soap to buds; blue sticky traps help monitor populations

Foliage and flower stalks grazed to stubs; deer bite cleanly while rabbits leave a 45-degree cut on stems Use deer/rabbit repellent sprays; erect wire mesh guards around clumps; plant daylilies inside a perimeter fence or alongside less palatable plants as a deterrent