Hello everyone:

I bought this plant aver 8 years ago, and after the first couple of years, something attacked the buds and I got no flowers. I thought it was because it was a bit shaded, so I have since moved it to a full sun location and I cannot get rid of this disease. Last year I got blooms because I started to spray daily with soap and water. This year, I was not as vigilant and I had the same result - just a couple of petals. This pest chews little holes in the top leaves - not large enough to make it unsightly - and what you see in the buds are little black things (the size of poppy seeds). I don't know if these are eggs or excrement, but I have never seen an insect in action. Does anyone know what this is? I am tempted to discard it, but it is such a beautiful pink. I have some more seedlings with which I could replace it, but I am wondering if this pest remains in the soil and would attack the new plants. Thank you in advance.

Northerner.