sounds like the lowers are being eaten by something. I have noticed earwigs are active and they certainly do this.

I believe you can trap earwigs by putting an inverted plantpot filled with straw or dried grass stems on a short stick. Never tried it.

Hi Sue, yes we used to do that to stop them getting at the Dahlia's, for some reason it seems to attract them, Derek.

My dad was a dahlia grower, and there were upturned pots on sticks for each and every one - the earwigs hide in the straw inside during the day, but he used to knock the contents of each pot into a bucket of water every morning, kill the earwigs, replace the straw (sometimes he used torn up or shredded newspaper) and replace the pot on its stick.