A backyard pond or water bowls could be the focal point of a wildlife garden and an essential component to attracting frogs to your garden.
A frog pond should be positioned so it looks natural i.e. lower than surroundings. It should also be positioned so it receives about two-thirds shade and one-third sunlight.
Rather than placing your pond under trees it would be best to create shade with reeds and some shrubs. Ponds also look more natural if you can create some surrounding bog areas using sedges and rushes.
Some solar lighting also attracts insects to your frog pond area. (See Casey, 1996)
For more information on attracting frogs to your garden refer to the following:
- Kevin Casey, (1996), Attracting Frogs to Your Garden, Kimberly Publications, Upper Mount Gravatt, Qld.
- Flora for Fauna Learning Guides, (2000?), Nursery & Garden Industry Australia (NGIA), Epping, NSW; www.floraforfauna.com.au
- Paul Urquhart, (1999), The New Native Garden: Designing with Australian Plants, New Holland Publishers, Sydney, NSW
- Peter Grant, (2003), Habitat Garden: attracting wildlife to your garden, ABC Books, Sydney, NSW
Wetland species suitable for frog ponds & bog gardens:
- Baumea articulata Jointed Twig Rush 0-800mm
- Baumea juncea Twig Rush Sporadically flooded
- Baumea rubiginosa Soft Twig Rush 0-500mm
- Bolboschoenus caldwellii Club Rush 0-300mm
- Carex appressa Tall Sedge Sporadically flooded
- Carex longebrachiata Weeping flowered Sedge Infrequently flooded
- Cladium procerum Leafy Twig Rush 0-1000mm
- Cyperus exaltatus Tall Flat-sedge 0-300mm
- Eleocharis acuta Common Spike-rush 0-300mm
- Eleocharis sphacelata Tall Spike-rush 200-1500mm
- Gahnia clarkei Tall Saw sedge Infrequently flooded
- Gahnia sieberiana Red Fruited Saw sedge Infrequently flooded
- Juncus continuus Tall Grey Rush Sporadically flooded
- Juncus kraussii Sea Rush Sporadically flooded
- Juncus usitatus Common Rush, Tussock Rush Sporadically flooded
- Philydrum lanuginosum Wooly Frogmouth 0-300mm
- Phragmites australis Native Reed, Thatch-reed 0-600mm
- Schoenoplectus macronatus Club Rush 0-600mm
- Schoenoplectus validus River Club Rush 0-400mm
- Triglochin procera Water Ribbons 0-1500mm
Clumps & groundcovers for wet areas:
- Crinum pedunculatum Swamp Lily
- Dianella caerulea Blue Flax Lily
- Goodenia paniculata Swamp Goodenia
- Isolepis nodosa Knobby Club Rush
- Lomandra hystrix River Mat Rush
- Lomandra longifolia Spiny-headed Mat Rush
- Baloskion tetraphyllum
- (syn. Restio tetraphyllus)
- Tassel Cord Rush
- Samolus repens Creeping Brookweed
- Viola hederacea Native Violet
A few shrubs for wet areas:
- Acacia elongata Swamp Wattle
- Banksia robur Swamp Banksia
- Callistemon citrinus Crimson Bottlebrush
- Goodenia ovata Hop Goodenia
- Leptospermum juniperinum Prickly Teatree
- Melaleuca thymifolia Thyme Honeymyrtle
- Melaleuca ericifolia Swamp Paperbark
- Viminaria juncea Native Broom
Other suitable species are available for frog ponds, bog gardens and wet areas. Please ask us if other species you require are in stock.