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 Any suggestions for a hedge that will grow in a shady part of my garden? – Lynn Caldwell, Burnside.

A Holly is quite happy in shade and it makes a dense barrier. Keep it well fed and watered.

Before planting anything new, soak for 10 mins to thoroughly wet the rootball.

Q My previous attempts to store pumpkins have not been very successful. How should I preserve this year’s crop? – J. Tait, Dunlop. A Pumpkins need to be cured before storing and this involves placing them somewhere warm and sunny for up two weeks. Leaving a 10cm stalk on the fruits will also help. If you have no way of curing them, its best to cook and freeze them instead.

When planting crocus bulbs in grass, skim off an area of turf then plant into the soil before replacing the grass.

Q Can I leave terracotta pots outside during winter? – Fiona McConnachie, Ellon. A High quality terracotta pots are frost-proof but cheaper makes are prone to cracking and shattering in frosty weather. Protect them by mixing polystyrene that would otherwise be destined for the recycling bin into the compost where it acts as a shock absorber.

Check along the sides of walls, border edgings and in pots and remove hibernating snails.

Q I’ve had very little success in keeping pelargoniums from one year to the next. – Helen Peterson, by email.

A Overwatering is the key cause of failure so only water when compost feels dry. Cut back some of the foliage and keep the plants somewhere bright and frost-free.

Prune out stems of box that have been affected by box blight and clear away all fallen leaves. Badly affected plants are best removed.

Q The narrow border down one side of my garden doesn’t get much light and I want something that will fill the gap at the bottom of the fence. – T. Connor, Helensburgh. A Geranium ‘Rozanne’ is a wonderful ground cover plant. It has attractive, sprawling foliage and its bright blue flowers appear in spring and keep going until the end of autumn.

Yew is very tough and will withstand a hard pruning but split the work over several years so the yew has a chance to recover.