Potting Shed

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.

My wheelie bins are an eyesore. How do I stop them from destroying the look of my garden? – Nick Sweeney, Houston

Dougal Philip at New Hopetoun Gardens has created an attractive wheelie bin bay by growing a beech hedge. You could do the same or, for faster results, you could use willow whips. Plant them now before they start to sprout and weave them together to create a living fence.

Why do I struggle to grow the Christmas rose yet other hellebores grow happily in my garden? – Lisa Grant, Strathaven

These white-flowered hellebores are fussier about conditions than the Oriental hellebores, which are flowering right now. If you have acidic soil, then you may have to grow the Christmas variety in containers to give them the neutral conditions that they prefer.

Can I take cuttings from a camellia? – Charlie Maxwell, Dunfermline

You can, but you’ll get a more established plant, quicker, by layering instead. Cut the bark from a section of a low-lying branch then peg this to the ground. When this roots you can sever the branch from the main plant.

I’ve got a Pieris in a large pot, but it’s looking a bit poorly. Help. – Helen Clark, by email

Tip the plant out of its pot and prune off a third of the rootball, then repot it using fresh compost. Take off some of the top growth too to reduce the burden of foliage. Refresh the top 10cm of compost, add slow-release fertiliser, then water thoroughly.

I want to add some evergreens to my garden for winter interest but I don’t want it to look boring during the summer. How do I get the balance right? – Shona Peters, Aberdeen

Stick to a ratio of one third evergreens to twothirds deciduous shrubs and you won’t go wrong. You can also use the evergreens as supports for small climbers, which will add summer colour.