Welcome to my potting shed! This is the column where I’ll share all my gardening hints and tips – and I’ll try to answer any queries you may have.

Q Can you recommend a rambling rose to cover a large, ugly shed?– T. Marshall, Ellon.

A ‘Albertine’ is a reliable salmon-pink rose with a lovely scent, but it only flowers once whereas ‘The Lady of the Lake’, which is a similar colour, will flower off and on all summer.

Take cuttings of roses and dogwoods once their leaves have fallen, trimming stems to 30cm and sink two-thirds deep in a trench filled with compost. Water, leave to next autumn before lifting.

Q I love cyclamen plants but every time I bring one home it is only a matter of days before the leaves turn yellow. – Doreen Ferguson, Ayr.

A Cyclamen like cool conditions so a porch is ideal. Water thoroughly then don’t water again until the compost starts to dry out.

Edge the lawn and weed between paving slabs to keep the garden looking sharp all winter.

Q Last year all the apples I stored rotted very quickly. – Ian Smith, via email.

A Only store perfect fruits and wrap each one individually in newspaper before placing in trays. Keep these in a cool, dark place with plenty of ventilation and you should still be eating your apples in early spring.

When lifting dahlia tubers, cut off the stems and store upside down for a few days to dry out before placing in trays of slightly damp compost in the shed.

Q I’ve tried everything to keep rabbits out of my garden, but they always find a way in. – Brenda Davidson, Dumfries.

A Rabbits like tender shoots so agaves and euphorbias, which have tough stems and leaves are less attractive to them. Prickly foliage is also a deterrent and so too is anything smelly. Older plants are less edible to them than young leaves so protect new growth with chicken wire until it matures.

Cut back the stems of autumn fruiting raspberries when the leaves turn yellow and mulch the plants with compost.

Q Is there a quick way of making leaf mould? – Michael Wilson, Alloa.

A Chop up the leaves with a lawnmower. Once piled into a wire bin or stuffed into black bags, punctured with a few holes, the chopped-up leaves break down much faster.

Cut pumpkins with 1” of stalk still attached and place somewhere dry to allow the skins to cure before storing or carving into Halloween lanterns.