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.

I always struggle to get parsley to germinate. Where am I going wrong? – Tom Phillips, by email.

Parsley needs high temperatures to germinate, so water the compost with boiling water before sowing the seeds. If you are growing on a windowsill, move the pots away from the glass at night to protect them from low temperatures.

Remove any of last year’s stems

remaining on perennials before this year’s growth gets too tall.

What can I do about daffodils that are “blind”? Most of mine have produced leaves but no flowers. – Mr I. Watson, Craigellachie.

It sounds as if your bulbs have become congested, so lifting and splitting the clumps will help. It is also worth giving them a feed with liquid tomato fertiliser two or three times over the season and allowing the foliage to die down before removing it.

Increase watering to houseplants as the

days get warmer and brighter.

I’ve had a plum tree for five years but have never yet had blossom. How can I persuade it to flower? – Linda Tait, Irvine.

Something is killing off the flower buds and I suspect it is either frost or wind. Try moving your tree to a more sheltered spot, where you should have more luck.

Sow Swiss chard and pick leaves for

salads while still small.

Why have the leaves of my Skimmia japonica turned a washed-out, yellow colour? – Andy Arbuthnot, by email.

Either your soil is too alkali or, if your skimmia is growing in acidic soil, then it is suffering from magnesium deficiency. In the first instance, use a feed for acid-loving plants and in the second top-dress with Epsom Salts.

Check new foliage for signs of aphid

infestation. Attracting birds will help to keep aphids under control.

How do I get rid of couch grass that’s growing through a clump of crocosmia? I’ve pulled out as much as I can, but it still comes back. – Audrey Machin, Dundee.

Dig up the crocosmia, shake off the soil and then untangle the couch grass from the roots. You may have to wash the roots to see clearly. Then, before replanting, go through the soil with a sieve to ensure that you’ve got rid of every last scrap of the weed.

Divide clumps of the Bleeding Heart

plant (Dicentra spectabilis) to keep it flowering.