Frogs

[ancee]

We want to set up a frog pond. Not a fish pond, frogs are lovely and I'd like them to help keep the nasties away in the garden. Does anyone know of any good sites about setting up frog friendly ponds? Also, how on earth do I attract them into the garden and pond? I was wondering if you can buy frog spawn! Thanks for any advice!

[greenishfing]

If you put a pond in with some nice shady areas next to it (piles of logs etc) you will get frogs. They will find it. Mine is in a terrible overgrown state, surrounded by weeds, but If I go near it I see and hear lots of them submerging. Also got newts.

[Snadger]

I've got frogs and newts. The frogs are just tadpoles at the mo but they will eventually emerge from the pond and decimate my slug population.
I was worried I'd lost them as the frogspawn only seemed to be there a short while then disappeared. It wasn't until I was weeding the path near the pond that I spotted the tadpoles.
My ponds been in about four years and started life as a sunken bathtub! To look at it now you would never guess what it started out as.
I managed to scrounge some water hyacinth which the frogs like to hide in.

[Verinda]

When you buy plants for your pond be sure to look out for any duckweed mixed in with them. Duckweed is such a nuisance https://www.lakelawnandpond.com/DuckweedAbout.aspx You need to have about three quarters of your pond covered with plants but not with duckweed! I'm sure the frogs will arrive so long as you've some cover and long grass.

[Olorin2001]

Frogs only need a pond for breeding, the rest of the year they just need plenty of damp hiding places to ensure their survival. So rather than one pile of logs, several spread around the garden, or stacks of broken paving, ideally not disturbed too much. Think cool and damp and take a look round your garden to see what it has to offer.
If they don't arrive by themselves in a year or two, I am sure that a request here at christmas time will get you some spawn in the spring, although I have a feeling they do have some form of legal protection.

[ancee]

I hope they can find us! Spent the entire bank hols digging out a big hole, (then filling it back in as it was too big!) put rigid liner in, then filled it with as much rain water as we could, then topped it up with the hose. Went out yesterday and bought plants, oxegenating ones that hang about the bottom, ones that float about on the top. A water lily, an iris and a stripy one - can't remember the name of it. Today I put logs around it and stones and plants like hostas and ferns around the edge. When they're big enough they should give cover for hiding purposes. Now, we'll have to sit back and wait... I hope they can get in the garden as we have a fence...

[ancee]

Thanks Olorin by the way, i'll put some hidey stacks about I'll look out for water hyacinth Snadger No duckweed so far Verinda _ I hope I don't get any