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on foliage.Yellow to white mottling of upper surface of leaves. Whole leaf may become puckered and turn brown at the edges.Cover a piece of stiff card with grease or contact adhesive and hold it above the infected plants while lightly brushing the foliage

flower buds might never open, or do so unevenly.When disturbed, the bugs quickly drop to the ground or fly away, so you'll have to be quick if you want to catch and squish them. Remove their hiding places by keeping the area under plants free of debris

. In severe cases, growth becomes distorted, leaves curl up, the plant weakens and can die.Natural predators, such as birds, earwigs, ladybirds, lacewings, hoverflies, ground beetles, spiders and parasitic wasps are a gardener's best allies. Some

The distortion, known as fasciation, is a freak of nature, and often looks like several stems have been fused together. It's a rare phenomenon and does the plant no lasting harm. It can develop on a range of shrubs, flowers and perennials. The cause

. Infected foliage must be disposed of immediately, as the fungus can survive on the plant if left lying on the ground. The early, large-flowering varieties are most prone to attack, with smaller-flowering species (eg, C. montana) being the most resistant

are shredded and may be covered in brown-black droppings.Pick off the grubs and adults as soon as you see them. The adults will drop to the ground at the slightest touch, so spread newspaper under the plants to catch them. Be quick and crush them under foot