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 I’ve got a lovely purple clematis that grows over my fence, but I’d like to grow it in other parts of the garden too. Can I take cuttings? – Mr G. Walsh, Westerton.

A Stem cuttings taken in late summer, with the soft tip pinched out, should root quickly if dipped in hormone rooting powder and inserted around the rim of small pots filled with gritty compost. Keep the cuttings in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse over winter.

Cut back oriental poppies after flowering

to encourage a new foliage and the chance of more flowers in later summer.

Q Why do the tips of my phormiums turn brown? – Janet Fletcher, via email.

A Wind damage and lack of water. In containers, don’t allow the plants to dry out but take care to water around the base without wetting the leaves as this can cause spotting if the sun is shining. Remove brown tips by cutting the stems at a sharp angle to create a fresh point.

Dig out spreading clumps of forget-menot before they can set seed.

Q I’m struggling to control perennial weeds in my garden but don’t want to use weed killer. – Flora Campbell, Ayr.

A Spread a very thick mulch over the soil or use special mulching polythene which lets water pass through but suppresses weeds. Or simply to pull off all foliage as it emerges without digging the soil, which can disturbed the seed bank and cause more weeds.

Check the ties on fruit trees to ensure that they aren’t becoming too tight.

Q My garden is over-run with rabbits. – Philip Dawson, via email.

A You need a rabbit fence made from 2.5cm gauge galvanised wire. Bury to a depth of 10cm and take up to a height of 1.5m above soil level. Check regularly and reinforce.

Stop tomatoes by pinching out the vine above the fourth truss.

Q Two years ago I planted a very small pot of mint, but it has run amok in the vegetable garden. Is there any way of growing mint without it spreading everywhere? – Mr D. Mitchell, Anstruther.

A The secret is to take a large, plastic bucket with the bottom removed then sink this into the soil and plant the mint within it. That way the mint has room to flourish but its roots can’t spread sideways.

Deadhead bedding plants regularly and feed weekly with dilute tomato feed to promote more flowers.