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 Is there anything I can plant to cover a wall which does not have much depth of soil due to the foundation of a wall? I’ve tried several climbing plants but without any success. – Jean Smith, by email.

A Cut the bottoms from several large pots or troughs and fill with soil-base compost, then plant your climbers into these. These will provide the depth of soil your plants need.

Keep deadheading flowers and

watering hanging baskets.

Q Can you tell me how to get ride of bindweed? Whatever I do it just keeps coming back. – Murray Anderson, Lenzie.

A Glyphosate weedkiller, sponged on to the leaves, can defeat it although you may have to repeat the treatment many times. However, discussions over whether to ban glyphosate are ongoing, so continual vigilance may be the best approach, such as cutting out the bindweed whenever it appears.

Carrot fly are attracted by the smell

when carrots are thinned, so cover with fleece after thinning plants.

Q I have a shrub in my garden that has grey-green spiked leaves and white flowers. Can you put a name to it? – Audrey Moir, Kirkliston.

A This sounds like the New Zealand holly, Olearia macrodonta. It’s a hardy and reliable plant that thrives in Scottish soil.

Prune spring-flowering shrubs as soon

as the flowers have fallen.

Q I know you should cut the seedheads off daffodils, but what about alliums?

– K. Martin, Dundee.

A Cutting the seedheads from alliums may strengthen the bulbs, but leaving them in place allows the plants to scatter their seed, so you end up with more flowers. Besides, the seedheads add a sculptural element to the garden.

Check undersides of brassica leaves for

eggs. Rub off to prevent caterpillars eating the plants.

Q The leaves of my dahlias have been shredded. What’s causing this problem? – David Ross, Prestwick.

A Rabbits usually leave dahlias alone so I suspect deer are the problem. These are increasingly encroaching on urban areas and are hard to defeat without installing a very high fence.

Pinch out the sideshoots on tomatoes to

concentrate the plant’s energies into the fruit.