Frog Friendly plants for a Wetland Wonderland

Frog-friendly Plants

Setting up a frog garden with local provenance plants is a simple exercise. Once you have a water-tight container (whether a fancy glazed pot, an old bath-tub or laundry tub, or a hole in the ground that retains stormwater), you are ready to start. A part sun/part shade position in the garden or courtyard is ideal to locate the pond, and now all you need are the plants. The following selection from Trees In Newcastle Nursery will provide some plants for the surrounds of the pond that are generally broad-leafed, and that will in time arch over the pond allowing good access to the water for frogs and suitable shelter zones for the mature frogs.

Other plants in the selection can be planted in the water: if you have a glazed pot, old bath or laundry tub, it is probably best to plant the tubestock into 6" or 8" pots with a layer of sand or pebbles on top to prevent the potting mix soiling the water. Then simply lower the pots into the pond. They can then be easily lifted out of the pond for cleaning of the pond if necessary, or removing dead leaves and tidying up the plants. If you have a natural pond or dam, you can plant the tubestock in the mud in the shallows at the pond edge.

Plants For Pond Surrounds

Alpinia caerulea Native Ginger (Shade)

Carex appressa Tall Sedge (Sun)

Cordyline stricta Palm Lily (Shade)

Dianella caerulea Blue Flax Lily (Sun/Shade)

Isolepis nodosa Knobby Club Rush (Sun)

Lomandra longifolia Spiny-headed Mat Rush (Sun/Shade)

Plants For The Pond

Baumea articulata Jointed Twig Rush

Juncus usitatus Common Rush

Ranunculus inundatus River Buttercup

Triglochin microtuberosum Water Ribbons

Once you have located your pond and planted your plants, don't rush to translocate either frogs or tadpoles. This can present problems with spreading of disease or bringing in species that are not suitable for your area. If you are patient, the local species will find the pond, sometimes within days.