Gardener Alan Titchmarsh has advised gardeners to plant beautyberry (Callicarpa) now, saying robins and sparrows "love" it as natural food supplies decline with colder temperatures.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, which has almost 200,000 subscribers, Titchmarsh suggested berried plants help ensure robins visit gardens during autumn and winter. He said: "Another way to encourage birds to come to your garden, is to plant things that they will find useful. Particularly food. At this time of year, berried plants give them lots of sustenance. The beautyberry, callicarpa."
He added: "It looks artificial, it's purple, which is not a natural colour for plants in the garden. Robins, and sparrows, love it. It makes a tallish shrub. Stick it at the back of a border, where it will be background for most of the year. But then, come autumn, look what it does. It really draws your eye."
Why robins need extra food in November
November is an excellent month to welcome robins for British gardeners. As winter approaches, the local British population is supplemented significantly by robins migrating from mainland Europe.
At this time of year natural insect supplies drop and trees lose their dense foliage, meaning robins have to search elsewhere for food.
Other ways to attract robins
Kingsyard Official, a company that produces bird feeders, claims that using a simple fruit can help invite robins into gardens during the colder months. The firm shared on Instagram: "How to attract robins to your feeders? Try adding apple slices, raisins, suet, mealworms or peanut hearts to draw them in. As winter approaches, robins will be looking for fresh water."
It added: "Consider setting up a heated bird bath to welcome these beautiful birds during the colder months."
Many people are not aware that robins are particularly fond of apples, especially during autumn and winter. Tempt them into your garden by offering small, fresh apple slices or placing them on a bird platform feeder.
Robins become more visible throughout autumn and winter as natural food sources grow scarcer, making them significantly more likely to turn up in gardens and at bird feeders while searching for food.
Titchmarsh appears on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh on ITV on Sunday, November 8, from 9.30am to 11.25am.
