Encouraging Birds into the Garden

Eryngium 'Silver Ghost'

My garden has has been inundated with Robins and Blackbirds this spring and i've just heard the first squeals from the Swifts which each year set up home in a neighbours loft!  I love the sound they make, it takes me back to my childhood and family holidays in France.  Birds are not only wonderful to watch, they are also free pest controllers. I often see Blue Tits picking Aphids from the Roses early in the summer and my friendly robin follows me around picking up caterpillars as i dig & weed.  So it’s really worth encouraging bird life to help out in the garden.
At this time of year providing food for them in the way of berries, seeds and fruit will encourage a constant stream of feathered friends who will be looking to stock up ahead of the cold winter months.
So which plants can we add to the garden to help our feather friends?  .....

Berries
Pyracantha (Firethorn), Cotoneaster and Holly are all popular berrying shrubs with the added benefit of being evergreen so they provide shelter, a refuge from predators and nesting sites too. They are all fairly large shrubs so they’re suitable the back of a border, training on a wall or incorporated into a hedge.  Smaller berrying shrubs include Gaultheria & Pernettya and both are suitable for pots.
Seeds
I love to leave the seed heads on the perennials in my border as they look wonderful when glistening with frost during the Winter, they also provide a nutritious source of seeds for birds too. Try leaving the seedheads on perennials like Echinacea (Cone Flower), Rudbeckia, Verbena and Echinops to provide a tasty meal for Finches, Tits and Sparrows.
The key ingredients of many bird seed mixes are Sunflower and Thistle seeds. Annual Sunflowers are oil rich and favoured by Finches and Long-tailed Tits. Teasels and thistles like Eryngium will provide generous meals for Finches and Sparrows if the flower heads are left on and allowed to develop. 
Hardy annuals which can be sown direct into the ground in Autumn or Spring like Cornflowers, Nigella and Poppies offer a colourful display for us through the summer and a plentiful supply of seeds for foraging Finches and Tits in Autumn. Seeds for these are available in garden centres now.
 Fruit
We may all love foraging for Blackberries in the Autumn, but so do the birds. Blackbirds favour these and Raspberries too so if you have them in your garden and you are willing to sacrifice some of your crop you will be rewarded with the song of a very happy Blackbird.
Apples and Crab apples provide a water rich source of food for larger birds like Blackbirds , Thrushes and Field Fares who will happily peck at fallen fruit in Autumn, so don’t be too tidy – let the birds have their fill first.
Delaying the garden tidy up in the autumn until the birds have feasted on the berries, seeds and fruits and adding a few seed rich perennials and annuals to the border will pay dividends when the garden is visited by an abundance of wildlife in the year to come.

If you are looking for more advice on making the most of your outside space then take a look at my website for details of the services I offer www.belgrierson.co.uk  or call me on 07506 750250. 

Bel Grierson

Expert Plantswoman and Garden Designer with 20 years experience in horticulture.  Bel loves to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with those with gardens large and small.

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