The borders are full to overflowing after all the rain and sunny weather - it's known as the growing season, and it certainly has been. That includes the weeds which appear from nowhere, at an alarming rate. I have a lot of trouble with bindweed, which always comes up in the same places. I pull on it gently trying to keep the root intact and I never compost it or leave any bits to re–root. I could use a glyphosate weed killer, but I prefer to do it by hand.

With so much of the watering being done for me, I've had less contact with the plants, and when I have had a close look have found that aphids have been cosily populating the new shoots - it is the soft growth that they like. The vigour and general health of a plant is soon affected. I have been assisting the ladybirds, using gloved fingers to squash them. If you do use an insecticide spray do it away from the bees.

The roses have been gorgeous, but the constant rain has taken its toll. Repeat flowering roses have had their spoilt buds taken off and I have given them a light feed of Miracle Grow and Tomorite, this works very quickly, so that the next crop of buds are only a few weeks away, depending on how much sun they get. Both roses and clematis are heavy feeders, and to do well like to have well rotted manure added to the soil in spring, plus a proprietary rose feed in March and after the first flush of flowers in June.

Sue is in the final four in the Daily Mail National Garden Competition 2011. Two finalists' gardens will feature in the August 6th edition of Weekend magazine and two in the 14th August edition before the winner is announced. Good luck Sue!