What's eating my winter iris?

Winter Iris (Iris unguicularis) blooms in winter and is relatively pest-resistant, but slugs and snails are a serious threat to the fragile flowers and foliage emerging in cold, damp conditions. Aphids occasionally colonize flower stems. Mice and voles can dig and eat the rhizomes in winter. Remove dead grassy foliage to deter pests.

Flowers and young foliage chewed, often before or as blooms open in winter and early spring Apply iron phosphate pellets in autumn and winter; hand-pick on mild wet nights; reduce shelter near crowns

Soft colonies on flower stems and bud bases; honeydew deposits; occasionally distorts early flowers Spray with insecticidal soap; remove badly infested stems; problem usually resolves as weather warms

Rhizomes gnawed underground; plants disappear or fail to re-emerge; tunnels visible in soil nearby Use mouse traps near affected beds; protect with fine wire mesh buried around the planting; reduce mulch depth