What's eating my lupinus 'chandelier'?

Like all Russell-type lupins, 'Chandelier' is highly attractive to lupin aphids — a serious pest that can collapse a whole plant within weeks. Slugs attack crowns in spring, vine weevil grubs silently destroy roots, and powdery mildew weakens plants making them more vulnerable. Monitor carefully from March onward and act at first sight of aphid colonies.

Thick grey-white colonies on stems and leaf undersides; wilting flower spikes and sticky honeydew. Remove by hand; spray insecticidal soap, pyrethrum, or neem oil; introduce parasitic wasps if available.

Holes in basal leaves and crowns in spring; seedlings and young plants most at risk. Iron phosphate slug pellets; beer traps; nightly hand-picking; copper tape around containers.

Notched leaf margins; larvae cause root rot and sudden wilting in late summer or autumn. Apply Steinernema nematodes as a soil drench in late summer; inspect roots when dividing; destroy larvae found.