What's eating my primrose?

Primroses are regularly damaged by vine weevil — the most destructive pest — whose grubs devour roots and kill plants outright. Aphids colonize stems and flowers. Slugs and snails shred leaves overnight. Outdoors, rabbits and deer will browse tender rosettes to the ground if access is not controlled.

Grubs consume roots; plants turn yellow, wilt and collapse; adults leave ragged scalloped notches on leaf edges at night Drench compost with biological nematodes (Steinernema kraussei) in late summer/early autumn; inspect pot rootballs when repotting

Dense green or root-feeding colonies on stems, flower stalks and undersides of leaves; stunted, sticky foliage Spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil; introduce or encourage aphid predators; check for root aphids when repotting

Holes and tattered edges on leaves, silver slime trails; seedlings can be completely destroyed overnight Use iron phosphate pellets; create barriers of sharp grit; hand-pick in the evening

Whole rosettes and flower heads grazed to soil level, particularly on garden-grown plants in spring Protect with low wire netting cloches or plant in raised beds with rabbit-proof fencing; use deer repellent sprays on borders