What's eating my pelargonium 'deacon mandarin'?

Pelargonium 'Deacon Mandarin', a compact double-flowered zonal geranium, faces the same core threats as other Deacon varieties: aphids colonising dense shoot tips and vine weevil grubs attacking container roots. Geranium sawfly larvae can damage leaves in summer. Whitefly may build up in warm, sheltered settings.

Shoot tips sticky and distorted; colonies hidden in compact foliage; sooty mould on leaves and flowers. Spray insecticidal soap or neem oil into foliage; repeat every 5–7 days; prune away the worst-affected tips.

Plant wilts and fails to respond to watering; grubs eating roots found in container compost. Apply nematode drench (Steinernema kraussei) to moist compost in late summer; check roots at repotting.

Lacy, skeletonised leaves from larvae feeding on the underside, most evident in summer. Inspect undersides of leaves regularly; hand-pick larvae; spray with pyrethrum or spinosad if populations are high.