What's eating my many-flowered cape primrose?

Many-flowered cape primrose can be grown indoors or in a sheltered outdoor spot. Indoors, mealybugs and aphids are the chief pests. If grown outside in mild climates, slugs and snails will rasp holes in the soft leaves overnight. Vine weevil grubs also threaten roots in containers.

Fluffy white wax colonies in leaf axils and along petioles; honeydew leads to sooty mold Treat with insecticidal soap or neem oil; remove heavy infestations with an alcohol swab; repeat weekly

Irregular holes chewed through soft leaves; silvery slime trails on foliage and around the pot Apply iron phosphate slug pellets around plants; use copper tape on pot rims; handpick at night

Dense colonies on new shoots and flower stalks causing distortion and sticky honeydew deposits Blast off with water; apply insecticidal soap; introduce ladybird larvae as biological control outdoors

Grubs eat roots and tuber base; plant wilts and dies back despite normal watering Apply beneficial nematodes (Steinernema kraussei) to moist compost; inspect roots at repotting and destroy grubs