Beginner Gardening: Whats eating my flower foliage?, 1 by purpleinopp

purpleinopp wrote:
Great job on your flowers! Are they the fragrant kind?

Your plant looks like it's nowhere near being in mortal danger from whatever has been sampling it, possibly something that flew away never to return. Different critters like different foliage, as you've seen. Often the culprit is a caterpillar that will turn into a butterfly if left alone. Many gardeners grow specific plants so they can be devoured by caterpillars. It's really not practical or healthy to start slinging 'cides every time something takes a bite out of a leaf. Most of them will also kill the "good bugs" that eat the plant munchers, often making the problem worse by throwing off the natural balance by killing the predatory bugs. That's not a good trade IMO, not to mention the risk of kids and/or pets being exposed, if you have those around.

The Petunia growing with the stock is starting to make some seeds. If you cut the little stems off where there were flowers, it will bloom more and for a longer time. Not all of them look like they were pollinated but if you make a habit of cutting them off, you'll get a lot more mileage out of the plants. (Called deadheading.) I've circled the ones that are clear in your pic. If you would like to save some seeds, a couple pods is usually enough, each one is full of hundreds of seeds. Just make sure you choose one or two that were pollinated (apparent by a swelling green nub inside the little whorl of leaves at the tip.) If you look at your plant, it should be readily apparent nearest the base of the plant which have been pollinated and which haven't. You can put a twist-tie or something on the ones you're saving to remind you not to cut those off. When they turn brown and develop a small crack, they are ready. Don't wait too long or the crack will become wider and the seeds will spill on the ground. The plants they grow are likely to be different than what you have and it's always fun to see "what happens" with saved Petunia seeds.