The leaves on your plants are trying to tell you something. The stems naturally grow toward the sun and, once bloomed, the weight of the flowers might make the stems tip to the side or even break. Eating leaves may be a part of your dog’s primal instincts, but the behavior could also be a sign of other medical issues, nutritional deficiencies, or even boredom. These plants only need to be dug up in colder regions. Yes. What's eating my Wallflowers?! I think the outside notching is probably caused by slugs, who adore zinnias. You don’t have to go crazy, but the more plants, the better (and the prettier). How to care for gladioli. R. How to Prevent Deer, Squirrels and Other Pests From Eating Your Flower Bulbs. When leaves are uniformly green, open, upright and growing vigorously, your plants are well-cared for and healthy. If the damage is limited to these plants within the mulch bed, not evident on shrubs or trees, it points to slugs. Information about Gladiolus. Insects capable of flight would eat some tree and shrub leaves, too. As one of the tallest flowering bulbs in the gardening world, gladiolus can be a challenge to keep from falling over. The reason that you don't see the yellow and brown spots is that after the leaf tissue is necrotic (dead), it drops out, leaving the holes. Your plants' leaves show several stages of disease progression, meaning that it has been ongoing for weeks or months. If, however, the foliage is wilted, spotted or in any way less than robust, your plants are likely to be suffering from a pest, disease, nutrient deficiency or other problem. Thrips also cause mottled leaves and feed on new growth, as do mealybugs. It looks like slugs. The gladiolus is most vulnerable to attack when the plant is young and after the spike develops. Click this article for some ideas on insects that attack Canna lily plants and how to recognize and defeat them. When the florets are present, feeding of a single larva can render a spike useless. Overall, plants become faded, limp and fail to produce new growth. Hand picking 'worms from gladiolus can be a practical method of control when only a few plants are grown; otherwise, chemical measures may be required. While in flower, give your gladioli tomato feed or comfrey feed every couple of weeks. In your area, the bulbs do not need to be dug up and stored for winter; however, in zones 6 to 7, they thrive better if the bulbs are protected by a thick mulch throughout the winter. All of the insects feed by removing the plant’s fluids, which are rich in carbohydrates and the fuel for its growth. They wouldn't just eat the leaf margins, but the entire leaves. Water well during the growing season and stake plants before the flower spike emerges. Canna lily pests are rare, but their broad sword-like leaves are awfully attractive to a variety of leaf munchers. I don't believe deer or rabbits are eating them. Yellow stippling in leaves is a telltale sign of spider mites. As most gardeners learn, sooner or later: one person’s flower fantasy is just a free feast to some furry fiend.Animal pest problems occur in all seasons of the garden, but fall and spring are peak periods for plunder. A. ... that it currently blooming wonderfully and doesn't appear to have any problems (apart from some yellowing leaves in the heart of the plant – if anyone is able to shed any light on why that might be?!). “Basically, they don’t smell good enough to eat,” she says. Garden Pests That Eat Leaves Big, bold and beautiful, tiger lilies (Lilium lancifolium or tigrinum) are prized for their black-speckled flowers that come in shades of red, orange, yellow and salmon. For tender varieties, and in colder parts of the country, lift the corms each autumn and overwinter them in frost-free conditions. 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