The view from the house into the garden can be either an absolute delight each time, or just a drab reminder that the fence needs repainting / the grass needs attention / the shrubs have outgrown their allotted space etc. If you ask 100 owners what their preferred view would be, you would get 100 different answers. In the winter there can be many benefits of leaving the shrubs a little longer before the brutal culling of branches. These longer stays will help birds find somewhere to hover and spend time inbetween those franctic dashes to feeders or worm castes in the lawn. It is something the older person has time to really appreciate more than most things about the aging process! Having those leisure moments to actually sit and contemplate the natural world in one’s own small space. It’s clear though that at some time, a coat of fence paint or other coloured preservative is going to be needed. The fencing supplier who replaced ten panels of basic fencing that had blown down in November gales, recommended repainting with a waxed based product within three years of their work. The new fencing scheme came with a waxed coating to help offset some of the worst elements of the winter each year. This work has been carried out as suggested so the fence across the width of the garden still retains that pleasing look of care and attention. It is a shade of mid oak and now that we have had a few rough winters, the sun is reflected on a good warm and sunny morning. Against this backdrop there are thickly leaved and bushy helebores – these are gorgeously architectural in nature. The leaves can grow very big and prickly edged but they fill a huge cavern of empty garden otherwise. The flowers differ massively from plant to plant and reflect winter colours. The odd holly bush dotted between these beauties, together with the dried remains of hydrangeas always help give balance and scope for birds to hide. There is also a lovely old bird bath that attracts all sorts of visitors during the winter months as well as summer. The life cycle goes on.