How to Attract Tits to Your Garden in Spring

As the days grow longer and warmer, tits urgently need safe places with an abundant food supply – and that is where your garden can make a difference.

If you enjoy cheerful birdsong in your garden, spring is the time to do plenty to encourage great tits and blue tits to settle there for the long term. An attractive nest box by itself is not enough. What matters is how bird-friendly the entire plot is designed: from dense shrubs and native plants to small hiding places in brickwork.

Why tits need a good garden right now

Spring marks the most demanding part of the year for tits. They have to locate a suitable nesting site, establish a secure territory and find sufficient food for themselves and, later, their young. Cold snaps and an April that is often dry make this task even harder in many areas.

At this time, a natural garden can become a lifeline. It provides shelter from cats, magpies and birds of prey, keeps the distance between food and nest short, and offers refuge during rain, wind and hot weather. Once you understand this, you are doing more than creating a smart outdoor space – you are creating habitat.

“Anyone hoping to attract tits needs to think about four things: a safe place to sleep, food, cover and short distances.”

More than a nest box: what tits actually need

Nest boxes: useful, but often positioned incorrectly

In spring, many amateur gardeners buy a new nest box from a garden centre. While the intention is sound, it often has little effect. These boxes are frequently hung too low, in full sun, on unstable branches or immediately above busy patios.

To make a nest box appealing to tits, keep the following in mind:

• Height: Around 2–3 metres above ground level is ideal.
• Direction: The entrance hole should preferably face east or south-east, rather than into strong midday sun.
• Peace and quiet: Keep it away from seating areas, play spaces and heavily used paths.
• Protection: Do not place it beside an easily accessible climbing route for cats.
• Entrance-hole size: For great tits and blue tits, approximately 28–32 mm.

It is equally important to retain natural hiding places wherever possible, including gaps in walls, old timber posts, crevices beneath roof tiles and holes in trees. Many species of tit favour these features far more than artificial boxes.

Preserve natural nesting places rather than tidying everything away

Modern homes and neat gardens are often too orderly. Smooth façades, sealed surfaces and the absence of hollow trees create problems for cavity-nesting birds. Where possible, therefore, retain:

• old fruit trees with cavities, provided they are not at risk of collapsing;
• small cracks in sheds or garage walls where birds may nest;
• sections of old walls or natural stone walls left unrendered.

“Every small crevice and every old tree stump can provide tits with a valuable breeding site.”

No insects, no young: turning your garden into a food source

Although tits are known for eating seeds, their chicks depend mainly on insect, spider and larval meals. A garden dominated by sterile ornamental plants and extensive gravel offers very little of this food.

Native plants instead of sterile cultivated varieties

Many ornamental plants sold in garden centres have been bred to flower for a long time and look attractive, yet they produce hardly any pollen or seeds. They offer no value to birds. Native species, which local insects have adapted to, are a much better choice.

Particularly useful options include:

Plant group	Examples	Benefits for tits
Flowering perennials	Meadow sage, yarrow, oxeye daisies	Attract insects, with larvae providing a food source
Native shrubs	Dog rose, blackthorn, hawthorn	Provide insects, then berries and cover
Wild hedges	Hazel, elder, privet	Year-round habitat for many small creatures

Avoid heavily double flowers whenever possible. They may look lush, but they contain very little pollen and are inaccessible to many insects.

No chemicals and less pressure for a perfect lawn

Spraying everywhere drives away aphids, caterpillars and beetles – the favourite food of many young tits. A few chewed leaves on roses or fruit trees are perfectly normal in a bird-friendly garden, and are even desirable. They indicate that enough food is available.

The immaculate ornamental lawn is another obstacle. Short, uniform grass produces very little wildlife. Better alternatives include:

• a small wildflower meadow with clover and herbs;
• edge areas that are mown less frequently;
• a “wild corner” containing nettles, leaves and dead stems.

Dense garden structures: why hedges are so valuable for tits

Many bird species, including tits, do not enjoy exposed open ground. They need to be able to dart quickly into cover. This is where hedges, thick shrubs and layered planting come into their own.

Choosing the right hedge mix

A good hedge combines several native species with differing flowering and fruiting periods. This supplies food for many months and provides protection in every season. Suitable choices include:

• rowan
• common elder
• hornbeam
• privet
• blackthorn

Berry-bearing shrubs provide more than calories: since many fruits have a high water content, they also offer moisture. This can help birds when puddles and small water sources have dried up.

Evergreen and dense shrubs as shelter

Evergreen plants and shrubs with thick foliage provide refuge throughout the year. Including individual evergreen trees or shrubs such as yew or holly creates safe perches where tits can shelter in winter and during periods of heavy rain.

“A dense bush close to the nest box can make the difference between life and death in an emergency.”

What to consider when feeding tits in spring

Many people stop feeding birds as soon as temperatures rise. Experts are increasingly recommending that seed food should remain available as long as there is no heatwave. Tits readily use this extra food, particularly when they need plenty of energy to build a nest.

Keep the following points in mind:

• Keep feeding stations clean and remove droppings regularly.
• Do not position them directly above seating or play areas.
• Select sheltered locations so cats cannot easily approach.
• During high summer, reduce the amount supplied and pay close attention to hygiene to prevent disease.

Further tips for a tit-friendly garden

Anyone wishing to go a step further can add small features that may seem insignificant at first glance but make a major difference:

• Water sources: A shallow dish or a small pond, refilled with fresh water each day, provides drinking and bathing water.
• Deadwood piles: Stacked wood and branches attract insects and become a food source.
• Leaf piles: Rather than clearing away every leaf, leave some in one corner – beetles, spiders and other small creatures live there.

If you are unsure which plants are suitable or how to retain old niches in your home safely, contact local conservation groups. Many offer garden assessments, publish lists of suitable species or can help you choose the right nest boxes.

Another commonly overlooked issue is light pollution. Gardens lit continuously and harsh floodlights disrupt nocturnal insects and, in turn, the food chain. Motion sensors with a short lighting duration are normally more than sufficient.

Over time, every one of these measures pays off in several ways. Tits keep many pests under control, eating caterpillars from fruit trees, mosquito larvae and aphids. A lively garden is not only more attractive to look at; it can also make maintenance easier – without poisons and without a sterile expanse of stone.