I asked 7 gardeners how to attract robins daily - you need 1 food and it's not seeds

If you're looking to attract birds to your garden in autumn and winter, then there's no doubt you'll also want to welcome robins. With their orange-red breast and small, stout shape, the robin is one of the most familiar British garden birds. But robins can be a little particular about where they visit and want to set up their homes.

While dishing out their mealworms and sunflower hearts is an easy way to capture a robin's attention, gardening experts say planting fruit trees and shrubs is the way to go. This is because these plants will offer an abundance of food, as well as provide shelter for Robins.

Lucie Bradley from Easy Garden Irrigation said: "To attract robins into your garden during autumn, the best way is to include plants that will be both a food source and a shelter, so, as food sources diminish, you are providing a safe haven full of berries and insects where robins will become established.

"This allows you to create the perfect winter scene as robins can be attracted by the traditional winter staples of holly and ivy, which combine berries, shelter, as well as attracting the insects robins like to eat."

She added that pyracantha also provides an "abundance of juicy red or orange berries", whilst giving robins safe, dense, thorny shelter, whilst a cotoneaster would also provide berries high in sugar and fat, "perfect for robins" as they build up their energy levels to survive through the colder months.

Another great addition is a crabapple tree to provide small fruits that will remain on the tree into winter, providing an easily accessible, reliable food source for robins as well as other wild birds.

Gardening expert and owner of garden landscape company Soothing Company, Loren Taylor, said that every autumn he has the "same goal" for his garden - to fill it with flashes of robin-red breast against the turning leaves. He said: "After nearly two decades designing landscapes, I've learned that robins aren't complicated guests. Give them a steady buffet of berries plus a bit of shelter, and they'll show up day after day, even when the mornings turn chilly."

In terms of which berry plant to grow, Loren also recommends pyracantha for two reasons. Bright orange-red berry sprays "catch a robin's eye from across the yard", and the plant's thorny branches "create a natural fortress". Robins feel safe darting in and out to feed, knowing neighbourhood cats will think twice before giving chase.

His other pick would be the guelder rose - its clusters of crimson berries ripen just as insects begin to dwindle, so "robins flock to the shrub" for reliable calories. As a bonus, its leaves glow a deep burgundy before they drop, adding drama to borders that might otherwise look tired by October.

Petar Ivanov from Fantastic Gardeners claimed that "the most natural approach" to draw in robins is to plant berry-producing shrubs such as hawthorn, holly or rowan. He claimed that they provide a steady supply of fruit, while leaving areas of leaf litter encourages earthworms and beetles to thrive, giving robins a "hunting ground they'll revisit daily".

He noted that the "crucial factor" in attracting robins is "consistency". Once a robin finds a regular, dependable source of food in your garden, it "will keep returning throughout autumn and can even continue to visit into winter".

James Ewens, gardening and wildlife expert from Green Feathers, said that berry-producing shrubs will help keep robins coming back. As insects are scarce at this time, he explained that berry-bearing trees and shrubs are a popular favourite for robins.

James said: "Berries, holly and hawthorn are some fan favourites as they bear bright clusters of berries for robins to feast on. Cotoneaster shrubs and trees are very attractive to both humans and robins. They're vibrant and festive, and the berries often last even through the coldest winter days. Planting one or two of these shrubs and trees ensures robins have a continuous food source."

Callum Halstead, head gardener at Cambo Gardens, has shared a few of his favourite plants that "truly draw these charismatic birds". The first being elder, which provides abundant autumn fruit and tolerates our coastal conditions wonderfully.

Second are native wildflowers - these are guaranteed to attract these birds on the hunt for a meal into your garden, and the final two are pyracantha, which offers winter berries when food becomes scarce, whilst ivy creates perfect nesting spots and provides more valuable berries.

John Candlish, head gardener at Dabton House, on the Drumlanrig Castle & Country Estate, added that he recommends growing fruit trees, but claims that there is another way gardeners can attract robins without growing these plants. He said, "If you don't have fruit trees, use open-style feeding trays or lay out some fruit or native berries on the ground, as robins naturally feed on the ground, which will attract them."

Gardening expert working for Online Turf agreed with John as she said that you don't have to plant anything new to attract robins into your garden; instead, you can give them some fruits you have to hand, such as apples, pears, and plums.

Make sure these are chopped into smaller pieces, and you can add mealworms along with crushed peanuts too, to "create a food mix that no robin can resist".

Peanuts are rich in fat, making them a perfect choice to support robins through the winter, while mealworms provide them with essential protein, fat, and fibre, supporting their muscle development and overall health.