WELCOME back to the Evening Times' weekly gardening column.

With our experts from Glasgow City Council we hope to answer all your gardening queries.

WE are finally at the time of year when everything quite literally "Springs" into life.

It has been a wet Autumn and Winter which has caused problems for a lot of gardeners around the country.

Puddles in your beds and borders are the most noticeable results of all the rain, which means your favourite shrubs and plants have most likely drowning throughout the winter.

If this has happened, you could try digging out the plant then check it over for any damage. If you can, prune it back a bit, removing any dead or damaged branches.

After the wild winter, your beds will also need some attention.

The first thing to do is give the beds a fork over to open up the soil area. After that you will have to incorporate some fresh growing medium, whether it's compost or top soil.

You may need to add horticultural grit or sand to the bed to aid with drainage and aeration.

It is important to add fertiliser at this time, either granules or well rotted manure as the water will have washed all of the nutrients out of the bed.

Waterlogging can also be a problem on lawns.

Spiking the lawn with a garden fork should help bring back the first flush of spring growth.

Containerised plants have been affected by the excess rain too.

You will find that the pots are filled with water that doesn't drain away and the plants may have died or are looking very sorry for themselves.

The best way to solve this is to empty out the containers, saving any plants that are salvageable and starting again.

When filling up again, always use fresh compost to give your plants the best start.

You could also add larger stones or broken crocks to the bottom of the pot to aid drainage.

Finally, it is a good idea to use pot-feet or bricks to raise the pots off the ground, to let fresh air circulate and water drain away.

l If you have a question, email news@eveningtimes.co.uk or write to: Garden Questions, Evening Times Newsdesk, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow, G2 3QB