Pond ecosystems

Put in a pond, and you'll find within hours it's teeming with life. There's nothing so attractive to wildlife as water, and it pulls in fascinating creatures from dragonflies to pond skaters, frogs and toads.

A thriving wildlife pond develops a varied, vibrant ecosystem. Follow our tips for giving your pond everything it needs to create a world of its own.

Plant different-shaped plants: frogs lay eggs under flat-leaved waterlilies, while dragonfly larvae crawl up spear-like irises to dry out. You'll find these and other wildlife-friendly plants in our garden centre.

Create a beach: access is very important for wildlife dropping in for a drink or a swim. A shallow slope at one end, covered in pebbles (available in bags from our garden centre) lets them crawl in and out.

Pile up large stones or cobbles to create perfect cool, shady hidey-holes for frogs, toads and insects. Dead branches in the pond are quickly colonised by insects and dragonflies and birds use them as perches.

Don't add fish as they'll eat frog eggs, toadspawn and larvae, reducing the range of life in your pond.

Please ask the staff in our Bridport garden centre for more information and advice about building up your pond's ecosystem.