Sedges, tussock grasses, water milfoil and lots of crevices and holes created with rocks, ridge tiles and roofing iron.

When ever I hear frogs in the wild they seem to love long grass and sedges by the waters edge. Adult pobblebonks of banjo frogs seem to prefer thick shrubbery a little distance from the waters edge.

Laurie,
A lot depends on where you are exactly. i.e. are you in the centre of Sydney surrounded by buildings or in the outskirts next to a park with a lake that has an established population? Frogs do travel but not far. I planted out a new dug dam with several species of rushes in the water, sedges on the bank, allowed the grass to grow long and varities of bushes and shrubs. There are at least 4 species that have moved in if my ears are correct. I am however out in the country near a few watercourses.

I suppose I'm saying that if there is no population nearby, however well you plant, you won't get any frogs unless you introduce a few tadpoles. You also need to allow them lots of hidey holes and curb any spraying so that the insects they feed on thrive. Not the sort of place for a neat and tidy gardener.

I know folk in Balmain that have Frogs in their backyard pond. I have a place on the Central Coast and within six months of constructing my pond, I had four different species there that just seemed to turn up.

Most of the Frogs in the suburbs seem to be the burrowing sort that burrow under rocks etc. when it gets cold or dry. So make sure there is plenty of protection for them. Out on the Mona Vale Road there are nurseries that sell native pond plants.

Good luck.

hi I'm ripping my bathroom out at the moment and am playing with the idea to dig the old bath tub into the ground as a pond. Has anyone tried this? (want to have frogs too)

cheers Jan

So far my tadpoles that I got from my neighbour seem to be happy Lots of froth I will add more non clorinated water to moorrow No croaks yet but I am hopeful I live in Haberfield near Balmain

old baths make good frog ponds, up here i have to have mine up high not sunk in so i can keep the cane toads, so i build climbing things like rocks for the frogs to get in and out also with the tub you need something like a hunk of timber resting on the edge and one end in the water so the little frogs can get out of the tub.

len

mail len

lens garden page

I have a bathtub in my greenhouse and one outside used for water storage. No frogs, just yabbies and galaxias. I made the overflow by cutting a length of pvc storm pipe (40mm, although 50mm would have been tighter) and pouring some concrete around the plughole.

We live in Bowral and have just dug a big pond in the clay where the natural spring pops out and it is full of frogs now! The area was already damp so they were around but they have now shifted to the ponds edges where we have placed several large rocks, old bits of decaying wood and planted native grasses and sedges. In the pond itself is a bit of duckweed (great mulch on the garden when it spreads too much!)and some papyrus grass and water-lilies. I am also getting some elephants ears to plant on the ponds edge and water spinach (edible) to put in the water.Frogs like clean unpolluted water - do not use any pesticides or fertilisers (other than organic products) around your pond and keep native fish in the pond NOT goldfish or koi! They'll eat everything including the tadpoles!

Good luck and season's greetings! :o)