How to make a green roof for your bird table

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How to make a green roof for your bird table

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Thursday, 10 March 2022 at 10:42 am

Find out how to attract more wildlife to your garden by adding a green roof to your bird table.

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Latest RSPB Guidance on bird feeding.

Due to the spread of avian diseases, the RSPB no longer advises the use of flat bird feeders such as bird tables. Find out more here. August 2026

RSPB bird feeding advice. Chris Gomersall/RSPB Images

Many of us will have birds that regularly visit our gardens, and it's easy to provide a home for them by building nest boxes or bird tables.

To encourage more wildlife to visit your garden, bird tables can be improved with an attractive living, green roof. The best plants to use for green roofs on your bird table are the smaller species of sedum, as they can withstand drought and grow on poor soil. To make it easier, you can buy ready-made sedum matting, which you simply cut to size and roll out.

Create a green roof for your bird table, with the help of our simple, five-step guide.

You Will Need

Bird table
Plastic sheeting
Water-retentive matting
Tape measure
Galvanised tacks
Timber batten (1m of 50mm x 12mm)
Screws
Screwdriver
Sedum matting
Slow-release fertiliser

Step 1

Fitting plastic sheeting to the roof

Measure the roof of your bird table and cut some plastic sheeting to fit over it - this will act as a waterproof membrane. Secure it over the roof with galvanised tacks.

Step 2

Cutting water-retentive matting to size

Cut the water-retentive matting to fit over the plastic sheeting and fix it to the roof of the bird table with galvanised tacks.

Step 3

Screwing the battens into place

Use a saw to divide the timber batten into four pieces - one for each slope of the roof. Cut one end of each piece at a 45˚ angle so they fit neatly together at the apex of the roof. Drill some pilot holes into the timber, then screw the battens in place.

Step 4

Adding the sedum matting

Use a craft knife to cut the sedum matting to size, then lay it over the roof of the bird table.

Step 5

Adding slow-release fertiliser

Sprinkle the sedum mat with a slow-release fertiliser and water.

Kate Bradbury says

Green roofs on bin stores, sheds and bird tables increase the area of green space in your garden. By planting flowering plants you further improve the habitat by attracting pollinating insects. Some of these will be attractive to birds, meaning they won’t have to travel far in search of live food to feed to their chicks.

Kate Bradbury

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