What's eating my pelargonium 'dolly varden'?

Pelargonium 'Dolly Varden' is most seriously threatened by the geranium bronze butterfly caterpillar, which bores into stems and destroys buds. Aphids cluster on new growth, and vine weevil grubs attack roots in containers. Whitefly can build up in sheltered spots. The scented foliage deters deer and rabbits.

Caterpillars bore into flower stalks and stems, causing wilting buds, frass-filled tunnels, and sudden shoot collapse. Remove and destroy affected stems immediately. Apply a pyrethrin-based spray or spinosad. Check plants regularly and remove eggs (tiny, laid in buds).

Clusters of soft insects on shoot tips and flower stems, causing distorted growth, sticky honeydew, and sooty mould. Blast off with a jet of water; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil spray. Encourage ladybirds and lacewings as natural predators.

Cream grubs eat roots causing sudden wilting and plant death; adult notches scallop leaf margins at night. Apply nematodes (Steinernema kraussei) to moist compost in late summer. Use physical traps or vine-weevil-specific neonicotinoid drench where permitted.

Tiny white flies and nymphs on leaf undersides; leaves yellow and become sticky with honeydew, weakening the plant. Yellow sticky traps; insecticidal soap or pyrethrin spray in the evening. Introduce Encarsia formosa in a glasshouse setting.