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Tip your mint out of its pot and look for thick white roots; cut off a few inches and replant in compost indoors and you should be able to enjoy fresh mint over the winter. reserves to help them survive. They also need safe places to rest away from predators and biting cold winds and these can be harder to come by as many trees and shrubs lose their sheltering leaves.

If you want to provide food for birds there are many common household scraps you can give them, but some you should avoid. Don’t give them anything high in sugar or salt.

There are loads of things they love such as cooked and unflavoured pasta and rice, cheeses and much more – check out the section below for a list of the household foods you should and shouldn’t put out for birds.

The best food for birds is purposemade seed from supermarkets or garden centres, which you can feel confident is safe for them.

Another of the best things you can put out for birds are fat balls. They are full of good fats that the birds need to layer themselves up for winter.

You can buy fat balls at the garden centre, but if you want to make some yourself you can check out my blog here: www.daviddomoney.com/ make-bird-fat-balls/

Do a bit of research if you want to attract certain birds. You can buy

When placing them, ensure they are one to three metres above ground and angled so rain will not get inside. They also want to be sheltered from winds and strong sunlight if possible.

Keep nest boxes away from feeders, as the high traffic can disturb nesting birds, and consider adding metal plates to the holes to deter squirrels.

In the longer term, there are plenty of plants we can grow to provide nesting or food and sometimes both.

As the ground hardens it gets difficult for birds to get at the worms and snails they love to eat. They increasingly turn to berries and seeds for sustenance, so having berried plants and leaving some of the seedheads on your flowers can make a difference.

Viburnum opulus, the guelder rose, is a beautiful native shrub that bears hordes of glistening berries from March through to November. Bullfinches and mistle thrushes especially love them. It’s superb for hedging and blooms with lovely white or pink flowers.

For something a little more architectural go for Dipsacus fullonum, or the common teasel. Goldfinches, sparrows and buntings all love to feast on the compact seedheads in early autumn, and they can last right through to Christmas. Holly gives wonderful berries that, even though they are ripe in autumn, are often saved until late winter by the birds. Just remember that only female plants produce the berries and they need a male nearby to pollinate them.

Pyracantha, also known as firethorn, is another great berryproducing shrub and one of the top choices for nesting. Its spiny branches make it hard for predators to get at the birds and their food source is right there with them.

Whatever you can manage, please try to take a little time out this winter to give our fabulous feathered friends a helping hand.