As pond liner supplier of a diverse range of high-quality large and small pond liners and other pond equipment, we’re often asked by our clients about the best ways to create wildlife and frog-friendly garden ponds in urban areas as well as out on rural properties, so here are our top tips:

• When you dig your pond, make sure that at least one edge slopes gently so that frogs and other animals can move in and out of the pond with ease. Shelved sections that come up out of the pond are also a great idea.
• Ensure that the deepest section of your pond reaches a depth of at least 60cm so that your pond won’t freeze solid in our frosty winters. This will protect hibernating wildlife as well as fish.
• Plants play an important role in oxygenating this ecosystem, so choose a range of (preferably indigenous) emergent and marginal plants. Favourites include marsh marigold, water violet and frogbit.
• While fish are great to look at, they will feed off other wildlife, so you need to choose either to have a separate pond for fish or no fish at all if you want frogs to thrive in your pond. • Frogs need shelter. Compost heaps, rockeries and woodpiles that are damp, sheltered by plants and close to the pond are essential to protect these creatures from heat, cold and predators. They also provide a ready source of food for frogs and other amphibians.
• Invasive plants like blanket weed and debris that fall into the pond need to be cleared regularly. Avoid using any chemicals, as they will kill other plant and wildlife as well.
• Think like a frog. When these creatures emerge from the water in March, they are often suffering from starvation and exhaustion – something that many frogs can die from. What they desperately need is food and shelter, so avoid using pesticides (as slugs that have been poisoned are lethal to other creatures that may eat them), build your woodpile shelter close to the pond and encourage dense plant growth on your pond’s borders.
• Watch out for babies. Baby amphibians are very delicate and can easily be damaged by materials that often surround ponds, including hard paving and cobbles. These products, while great to look at, can mean certain death for baby amphibians that can cook to death on these surfaces on hot days.

For more advice on building a frog-friendly garden pond in your townhouse garden or on your rural property, contact us at Liners Online today. We supply a wide range of pond equipment that will meet your every need, including highly durable and high specification pond liners and pumps.