"stuart noble" wrote in message
...
Having finally got some buds on my Hydrangea seemannii after five years or
so, I notice the foliage is being eaten alive by something. Anyone any
ideas?
While it looks like a caterpillar with a very large mouth, the tip of the
leaf suggests otherwise.
Hopefully a link to to a photo follows, but I gather some servers remove
these


http://i54.tinypic.com/2vuwzk7.jpg

Anyway, any advice appreciated

Stuart, this damage on older leaves is typical on plants not growing in
woodland conditions and is mostly caused by mechanical damage with the wind
rattling the leaves against one another all winter, the fungal damage around
the edge is secondary infection and the leaves would still look tatty even
if you could stop it, as it flowers it will furnish itself with a new set of
leaves that will be pristine (for a while!)
Other culprits are leaf cutter bees and Vine weevil adults,.
Basically the more shelter you grow this plant in the better it will look


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk