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 There’s a shrub in my garden which has leaves like holly but which is covered in yellow flowers in spring. Can you tell me what it is? – David Nicholson, Corrie A This sounds like the Oregon Grape, Mahonia aquifolium, which is a low-growing shrub that’s easy to care for. The black berries that appear after the flowers are bitter but can be turned into jelly.

If winter bedding is looking a little tatty,

tidy it up now, snipping off dead blooms and yellow leaves.

Q I’ve just moved into a new-build home and want to know the best way of attracting wildlife into my bare garden. – Lorna Suttie, Uddingston.

A Plant lots of shrubs as these provide cover for birds and other small creatures and try to ensure that you’ve got something in flower every month of the year in order to provide nectar for insects. Covering the fences in climbers will also add extra habitats and food.

Hard prune buddleja and lavatera, cutting them down almost to the ground.

Q Can you recommend a flowering cherry tree for our front garden? We’d like it to be pink please. – Annabelle and Eddie Jamieson, Ellon

A Prunus pendula ‘Pendula Rubra’ is a weeping cherry with single, pink flowers while Prunus cerasifera ‘Nigra’ has purple leaves and pink flowers.

Plant lily bulbs in tall pots and keep in a coldframe or unheated greenhouse until spring.

Q Can you recommend flowers that will thrive on clay soil? – G Clark, Symington A Roses love clay soil, the heavier the better and astrantias and lily of the valley also cope well in such conditions. Avoid anything with grey leaves as these need good drainage.

Move seed compost undercover. Germination can be hampered if seeds are sown into cold compost.

Q What’s been damaging the bark on my beech tree? – Alan Gordon, Kemnay

A If the damage is at ground level then it is rabbits, higher up and it is more likely to be deer. If you can’t fence your garden then you may have to protect trees with wire netting or tree guards.

Keep off soil as much as possible to prevent compaction.