What's eating my dianthus deltoides?

Dianthus deltoides (maiden pink), a tough mat-forming species, is troubled mainly by aphids and slugs. Thrips occasionally damage flowers in hot summers. It is generally very resilient — slugs are the most likely culprit when fresh growth or flowers disappear overnight, especially in moist, mild conditions.

Irregular holes chewed through leaves and flowers, particularly in spring and autumn; slime trails evident at night. Apply iron phosphate pellets or a layer of grit around the mat. Hand-pick at night. Encourage ground beetles and hedgehogs as natural predators.

Soft colonies on flower stems and buds; sticky honeydew; deformed new shoots. Blast off with water, then apply insecticidal soap spray. Biological control with Aphidius wasps is effective in settled weather.

Silvery streaks and distortion on petals and calyx; mainly a problem during dry, warm periods. Remove worst-affected blooms. Spray with insecticidal soap or diluted neem oil in the evening to avoid harming pollinators.