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.

QThe contents of a compost bin I filled a year ago have still not broken down. – Dawn Morrison, Eaglesham.

AThe best compost is made using a mix of woody and soft material and I suspect you may have used too much of the former and not enough of the latter. Turn out the bin, mix in annual weeds and grass cuttings, then refill, sprinkling with water if the mixture seems dry.

Keep camellias well-watered as the buds of next year’s flowers are now forming.

QI have flowering shrubs, such as Fosythia, Ribes and Weigela which all need pruning. Can I leave the cuttings on the ground to act as a mulch? – Alex Brown, Polmont.

AYes, although be aware the prunings may contain chemicals that can hinder the growth of young plants. If that’s an issue, stack the prunings for three months before mulching.

Damp down the floor of the greenhouse on warm days.

QWhat can be done to kill off very fine grass growing through my rhodohypoxis? – Elizabeth Aldebert, Kirkcaldy.

ARemoving the grass without disturbing these lovely alpine flowers is difficult and treatment with glyphosate-based weedkiller just isn’t practical. So dig up the rhizomes, shake off soil, tease out the grass, then replant.

Cut back catmint when it finishes flowering and you may get a second flush of flowers in September.

QWhen is the best time to cut back a strawberry tree? – H. Cairns, Auchterarder.

AThe Arbutus unedo is an attractive evergreen shrub that rarely gets too big. It is best trimmed in February or March.

Plant amarine bulbs now for flowers this autumn. Amarines are a cross between amaryllis and nerine and they need a very sunny spot.

QI’ve been digging over an area of the garden for replanting and unearthed lots of daffodil bulbs. Should I keep these for planting later or pop them back in straight away? – Charlie Fraser, Aberdeen.

AIf you want to avoid unearthing them again, store the bulbs on trays in a cool, dry shed until your new plants are in place. You can then add the bulbs in the spaces between them.

Check containers and hanging baskets, deadheading, adding foliar feed and watering twice a day in hot weather.