Everyone loves welcoming feathered visitors to the garden! Not only do birds bring life, movement, and beautiful birdsong to your outdoor space, but they also help to control pests. With natural habitats declining, creating bird and wildlife-friendly spaces has never been more important for supporting local biodiversity.

There are many simple things you can do to make your garden more appealing for our native birds, from growing bird-friendly plants to creating safe nesting spots. Read on for Fothergill’s top tips on how to attract birds to your garden!

1. Grow Bird-Attracting Plants

Natural sources of food, such as berries and flower seeds, are incredibly important for our feathered friends. Edible plants provide an irresistible opportunity to forage, so planting plenty of suitable varieties is a great way to make your garden more bird-friendly.

Some of the best plants for birds include:

• Holly – Holly berries offer a valuable source of food throughout winter.
• Sunflowers – Sunflower seeds are rich in nutrients and beloved by many birds, including nuthatches and finches.
• Nigella (love-in-a-mist) – These striking blue annuals bloom in summer before forming seed pods. Nigella seeds are energy-rich and especially popular with small birds such as sparrows.
• Fruit plants – There are many great types of fruit to grow, from gooseberry bushes to strawberry plants, all of which provide tempting food for birds.

Many birds are insectivores, so it’s worth encouraging minibeasts to visit your garden. Try planting pollinator-friendly plants and adding compost to your soil to create the perfect environment for earthworms.

2. Plant Trees and Shrubs

If you’ve been struggling to attract birds to your garden, it may come down to a lack of foliage. Food isn’t the only purpose plants serve, after all! Taller, bushier plants provide shelter and protection from predators, while trees offer a natural place for birds to nest.

Planting bushes and trees, especially evergreen trees, will make your garden a more enticing place for birds – they’ll appreciate having somewhere to hide if they feel threatened. You can also plant prickly shrub plants around perimeters and underneath bird feeders to deter cats.

3. Set Up Bird Feeders

Alongside growing bird-friendly plants, you can offer supplementary foods such as seeds, grains and fruit. This will both help attract birds to your garden and provide them with an additional year-round source of energy.

Set up a bird feeder table or hanging bird feeder in a sheltered area, ideally near the cover of trees. Some birds, such as dunnocks, prefer to feed from the ground. Choose a high-quality bird food mix or make your own – peanuts, sunflower hearts and niger seeds are particular favourites.

Fill your bird feeders a little at a time to reduce the risk of spoilage, and make sure to clean them regularly. It’s also a good idea to move the feeders occasionally to prevent predators from learning birds’ feeding routines. 

4. Provide a Source of Water

Having a source of fresh, clean water is always a reliable way to tempt birds into your garden. All birds need to drink, and many species (such as sparrows, blackbirds and finches) love to bathe in water to keep their feathers clean.

The best bird baths are wide and shallow, with sloping sides and a textured surface to provide some grip. To make your birdbath more enticing, place it somewhere quiet, shady and sheltered, such as underneath a tree. Refresh the water daily and clean the bath at least once a week to prevent bacteria and algae growth.

5. Add Nesting Boxes

Beginning in early spring, birds begin looking for a safe place to rear their young. So, creating some safe nesting sites in your garden is a great way to attract birds year after year.

Dense hedges, bushes and trees provide natural places for birds to nest. Small birds like blue tits, robins and blackbirds will also use nest boxes. Some prefer boxes with small holes, while others favour open-fronted designs. 

Set up nest boxes in a sheltered spot out of reach of predators. During the nesting season (March to September), leave the boxes alone and avoid cutting hedges and shrubs. In autumn, remove old nests and thoroughly clean your nest boxes so they’re ready for new occupants next spring.

Create a Bird-Friendly Garden with Fothergill’s

Ready to transform your garden into a paradise for birds? You’ll find everything you need at Fothergill’s! We have a fantastic range of bird-friendly flower seeds and plants to choose from, as well as bird food and feeders, nesting boxes and other must-have accessories. 

Check out our gardening blog for more advice on creating a wildlife-friendly outdoor space.

There’s nothing quite like a wildflower garden. Bursting with colour, buzzing with pollinators, and changing with the seasons, your back garden can be a real slice of British countryside – and the best part is, growing a wild-style garden isn’t even that hard. 

If you’re wondering how to create a wildflower meadow in your garden, which wildflowers to pick, when to sow them, or how to care for your patch, we’ve got all the advice you need. Get ready to create the garden of your dreams with our guide.

Preparing the Soil for a Wildflower Meadow

True wildflowers grow well in low-nutrient soil – after all, they have to make do with whatever they find in nature. As such, there’s no need to enrich the ground with compost or fertiliser before sowing them. In fact, too much fertiliser encourages grasses and leafy weeds to take over, crowding out the wildflowers. Even if it doesn’t, your wildflowers only use the food to grow more leaves rather than bigger blooms.

To prepare your meadow area, start by thinning out any thick or overgrown grass. Mowing short and raking away the clippings can help weaken the grass, making room for wildflower seeds. And for compacted ground, lightly rake or fork the surface to loosen it; this helps the seeds make better contact with the soil. Then water the area well before sowing the seed.

With the ground prepped and ready, you can pick out your wildflowers…

What Are the Best UK Wildflowers?

The UK is home to an incredible variety of wildflowers, each of which has its own charm. If you want a meadow full of colour, cornflowers, poppies, and yellow rattle are brilliant choices. For something more delicate, bellflowers and forget-me-nots have the soft touch you’re looking for. And if you’re looking to attract pollinators, foxglove seeds will have bees and butterflies flocking to your garden. But these are just a few of the dozens you can choose from.

How to Choose Flowers for a Wildflower Meadow

Choosing flowers for your wildflower meadow is all about creating a balanced mix of colour, texture, and seasonal interest. A good meadow will have flowers blooming from spring to autumn, so select a mix of early, mid, and late-season wildflowers to keep the display going; for example, cowslips and primroses bloom in spring, with poppies and cornflowers only blooming later in the year.

Think about colour, too. Soft pastels create a gentle, cottage-garden feel, while bright reds, yellows, and blues bring bold contrast. You can also pick varieties that complement each other - like cornflowers and poppies for a striking blue and red combination.

If you’re not sure what’s best for your space, why not consider a wildflower seed mix? Our mix includes dozens of 100% native British-produced wildflower seeds, including oxeye daisies, campions, buttercups, evening primroses, and lots more. The benefit of a wildflower seed mix is that the specially-selected mix will contain flowers that can be sown at the same time, and in the same conditions – no extra effort necessary.

Whether you prefer a mix of bright annuals or classic perennials that return year after year, there’s a UK wildflower for you, so we recommend looking through our complete collection of wildflower seeds for some inspiration.

When to Sow Wildflower Seeds in the UK

Wildflower seeds can be sown in early spring or autumn, depending on the flowers you want to grow. Autumn sowing may be beneficial for some hardy perennials and biennials, which can benefit from a period of growth before winter sets in. Spring sowing works better for annuals like cornflowers and poppies, which germinate quickly as the soil warms up. 

For the best results, check your seed packet. Some flowers prefer being sown earlier or later.

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How to Care for a Wildflower Garden

Wildflower gardens are wonderfully low-maintenance, which is a big part of their charm, but a little care will keep them looking their best. In the first few weeks after sowing, water lightly if the weather is dry to help seeds establish. Once they’re growing, wildflowers don’t need feeding; adding fertiliser encourages weeds and grasses to take over.

As it gets later in the season, cut back any faded flowers you see. This helps scatter seeds for next year’s growth while preventing the area from becoming too overgrown. Or, if you’d rather let nature do the work, simply leave seed heads for birds and the chance for flowers to reseed naturally.

Grow a Wildflower Garden with Fothergill’s

So, now that you know how to create a wildflower meadow, the garden of your dreams is just a few seeds away! Whether you’re after a meadow full of colour or a simple patch of pollinator-friendly flowers, we’ve got just what you need in our collection. 

Shop our wildflower seed range today and start growing. And if you’re looking for tips or inspiration, our gardening blog is always here to help.