It's boom time in the garden now, not just for plants (flowering ones need to be dead-headed, and if floppy, staked), but for pests also. Watch out for colonies of aphids (greenfly or blackfly) clustering on stems, on the undersides of leaves, and around fresh buds. Hose them away with water, or rub them off between finger and thumb. Try not to use pesticidal sprays as they can kill or harm the beneficial insects that feed on aphids. These good predators have longer life cycles than their prey, so they take more time to build up their numbers after being zapped. Meanwhile, the sap-sucking, vandalising aphids - who reproduce swiftly - get a fresh head start on your plants.