Give birds a BOOST

From shy wrens to curious robins, be sure to welcome birds into your garden

- ANNABEL KEMP

Starlings, house sparrows, blackbirds, tits, robins, greenfinches, collared doves and more, are all regular visitors to our gardens. Each brings their own song and personality, and is a joy to watch, so here’s how to encourage all your feathered friends.

Nature’s shelters

Thickets and hedges are a bird’s best friend, providing shelter and a source of food. Holly and hawthorn, which you can plant from autumn to late winter, have red berries that feed birds over the whole of winter.

Ivy provides a safe, tangled shelter for nests – and berries in late winter – and is best planted in spring.

Climbing honeysuckle produces winter berries and attracts tasty insects throughout summer – evergreen varieties are best planted in spring and autumn.

If you have hedges with berries, trim them in late winter after the berries have been eaten.