How do I attract frogs and toads to my pond?
Frogs and toads are drawn to ponds that feel safe, sheltered and well-connected to surrounding habitat. A pond placed in the middle of a lawn with no cover will rarely attract amphibians, they prefer messy, shady areas with damp ground, long grass and plenty of hiding places. Log piles, stone stacks, dense pondside planting and wildlife corridors (such as hedges or borders) allow them to move safely from the garden to the water. Avoid short-mown turf right up to the edge; instead, allow vegetation to grow and create shaded, slug-rich feeding grounds near vegetable patches and flower borders.
Planting is crucial. A wildlife pond should be layered: submerged oxygenators for cover and oxygen, floating plants for resting spots, and plenty of marginal and soil-grown pondside plants to conceal spawn and tadpoles from predators. A bare, crystal-clear pond with little foliage may look ornamental, but it offers almost no protection for eggs or young amphibians. Fish will eat spawn and tadpoles and cats can hunt adult frogs, so prioritise shelter, shade and complexity over neatness.
Avoid powerful fountains or surface-disturbing jets, frogs and toads prefer still or gently moving water and will always spawn away from strong flow. Access matters too. Frogs, toads and newts must be able to get in and out of the pond easily - sloped edges, shallow shelves, stacked rocks or beach-style areas are ideal. Small ponds often won’t support all three amphibians at once; newts can eat spawn and toads return to the same breeding pond year after year.
Do not move or buy frogspawn, this can spread disease and disrupt migration patterns, it’s best to let wildlife arrive naturally, we explain more in our blog - Why We Don’t Sell Frogspawn.
Build the right conditions and you’ll be amazed at what appears. A wildlife pond is meant to be leafy, layered and a little untidy - not a manicured ornamental pool. With time, shelter and thoughtful planting, even the smallest garden pond can become a thriving amphibian habitat and a joy to watch.
