For a gardener confined to the house because of health problems (as I am), bad weather, or by having to wash the dishes, a good view of the garden through the window is all-important.

The view from indoors is not always considered when a garden is laid out or planted up, though it's often quite different from the view you get when you are actually in the garden.

For a start, most things are further away, with small, delicate plants difficult to pick out through even the cleanest of glass.

With the eye taken away from individual plants, it's easier to get an overview of the whole garden and to notice external influences, such as neighbouring properties and the wider landscape beyond.

This is especially true of the view from upstairs windows.

So, make sure there are plants of interest visible from the windows at all times of the year - they need not necessarily be flowering, they may have good autumn colour or interesting texture for example.

Scented plants and climbers planted beneath and around open windows will bring the scent of the garden indoors; running water or foliage that catches the wind, like that of grasses, will add movement to the equation.

Plants with edible seed heads or berries, such as astilbes and cotoneaster, will encourage birds to feed close to windows, adding yet more interest for the bored gardener.

You can alter the apparent overall shape of your garden by using something called 'false perspective'.

Long thin gardens can be made to seem wider by making use of horizontal lines; prostrate shrubs, paths, beds, low hedges and walls.

Likewise, gardens can be made to appear longer by using vertical lines - fastigiate trees, obelisks, or paths running the length of the garden.

If the view from your windows takes in the surrounding countryside (the technical term for this is 'borrowed landscape'), then make the most of it.

Ensure that trees and shrubs don't gradually grow up and block the view, perhaps think about framing the best bits with tall, upright, evergreen trees or shrubs.

You can draw attention to the surrounding landscape by gradually raising the height of the planting at the end of the garden, so that the eye is carried smoothly over boundary fences and away into the distance.

Similarly, you can distract the eye from an ugly view by using bright colours or interesting foliage in the foreground or to one side.

Jobs for the gardener

Rake fallen leaves from beneath roses and any other shrubs that have suffered from mildew, blackspot or other fungal disease.

Burn these leaves to destroy overwintering fungal spores.

Give the lawn a final cut if the ground is dry enough.

Give the mower a really good clean and send it off for a service if necessary.

Store in a safe, dry place for the winter.

Sow sweet peas and broad beans in small pots in the greenhouse or cold frame.

by Sue Tasker, head gardener, Bockhole