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.

I’ve just taken delivery of some bare root roses but I’m not sure how best to plant them. – Len McIntyre, by email

If the weather’s frosty, then dig a trench and lay the roots in it, covering them lightly with soil. In better weather, soak the roots in a bucket of water for a couple of hours while you dig out a large planting hole. Sprinkling mycorrhizal fungi on the roots before covering them will help with new root formation.

There are still a few fruits clinging to my Japanese quince. Can I eat them? – Daisy Hopkins, by email

The fruits of the Japanese quince are edible and make a delicious jelly. If you don’t have enough fruits to make a batch, then add a few apples to the recipe.

A huge camellia is blocking the light to my living room window. Can I cut it back? – Louise White, Cupar

Cut it back now and you’ll lose all of next year’s flowers, so wait until after these have blossomed before giving your camellia a trim.

I’ve got some young lavenders in pots that were doing fine until a few weeks ago but now look sickly. Should I protect them from frost? – Mrs J Speirs, Elderslie

Lavender is very hardy but it doesn’t like wet weather, so move your plants under cover and water them very sparingly until growth starts in spring.

If I pick the outer leaves from my Cavolo nero kale, will it keep growing? – Ian Smart, by email

Yes. Pick only the outer leaves and your plants will keep producing fresh growth throughout the winter.