I've given up on lavender. Our soil is just too soggy - the poor things rot, when the cold doesn't get them.

For the first couple of years, we had a major problem with aphids, but just recently everything seems to have balanced out nicely and they just aren't a problem. We had a Little Brown bird patrolling one of the miniature roses in the back garden today - don't know if it was a willow warbler or a chiff-chaff, but it was certainly on aphid munching detail!

I got into begonias fairly late in life, but I really love them now!