Why shelter matters as much as water

A pond is the headline act, but frogs and newts spend the greater part of their lives on dry land. Once spawning is over they disperse into the surrounding garden, and what they are looking for is not glamorous: cool, damp, undisturbed cover with plenty of insects and slugs to eat. During a hot spell in July, an amphibian out in the open can lose water through its skin faster than it can replace it, so a shaded refuge is a genuine survival tool rather than a nicety. The same structures carry them through winter dormancy, when frost is the enemy and a stable, slightly damp microclimate is everything.

The good news is that creating this sort of habitat is cheap, slow, and mostly a matter of leaving things alone in the right places. A few log piles, a scruffy pond margin and an undisturbed corner of the compost heap will do more for your local frogs and newts than any amount of tidying.

Build a log pile they will actually use

Choose a spot in dappled shade, ideally on a north or east-facing edge against a hedge, fence or wall where the soil stays reliably damp. Full sun defeats the purpose. Use hardwood logs — oak, beech, ash and birch are excellent — and leave the bark on, since it holds moisture and shelters insects. Softwood works too, though it will rot down within a few years and need rebuilding.

Aim for a stack roughly a metre long and 60–80cm high. Partially sink the bottom layer into the soil so it wicks up moisture, then build upwards at a loose angle, leaving gaps and crevices rather than a neat wall. Drill a few 8–10mm holes into the cut ends of some logs to mimic beetle tunnels; the larvae that move in become newt food. Finish with a scattering of leaf litter and moss over the top, and a few broken terracotta pots or flat stones tucked among the logs for extra nooks. Resist the urge to tidy it. A pile that looks slightly abandoned is a pile that works.

Plant dense margins, not just a neat edge

The strip where water meets bank is prime amphibian territory, and native marginal plants do the job far better than ornamental ones. Good choices include purple loosestrife, water mint, marsh marigold, ragged robin, meadowsweet, yellow flag iris, soft rush and greater pond sedge. Plant them in baskets on the pond shelf or directly into damp soil at the edge, and let them knit together into a thick, shady fringe.

Frogs tend to spawn in shallow water of around 10–20cm, where clumps of submerged and emergent vegetation hide the spawn from birds and hungry fish. Dense marginal growth also shades the water, keeping it cooler and better oxygenated through summer, and gives newts somewhere to lurk between bouts of feeding. Leave some open water for basking, though — a patch of clear surface in full sun is valuable for warming up.

Don't cut everything back in autumn. Stems and seed heads provide overwintering cover and food, so work in stages from late spring onwards, trimming a section at a time and leaving the rest standing.

Let the compost heap work for wildlife

A compost heap is one of the most underrated wildlife features in a British garden. It generates heat as it decomposes, which makes it attractive for egg-laying, and in winter the core stays noticeably warmer than the surrounding soil — exactly the sort of stable retreat a frog or newt wants.

Site it on soil rather than concrete, in partial shade, with a base of broken branches for drainage. Cover it with boards or a piece of old tarpaulin to keep the rain in and the worst of the weather out. The crucial rule is to leave one corner completely undisturbed from October through to March. If you do turn the heap, do it gently and slowly, moving material aside with your hands before forking, and always check for animals first.

Small refuges scattered around the garden

• Stone and slate stacks: a loose pile of flat stones in a shady border gives newts a cool, humid gap to squeeze into.
• Upturned flower pots: chip a small notch in the rim so an amphibian can get in, then half-bury the pot in damp soil.
• Leaf mould piles: rotted leaves hold moisture beautifully and are ideal for foraging.
• Long grass and hedge bases: leave a rough strip uncut along boundaries — it connects other habitats and provides a safe corridor.
• Log borders: half-sunk logs edging a bed do double duty as a path and a refuge.

Looking after shelter through the year

Seasonal care is mostly about restraint. In spring, leave the pond margins and log piles alone while animals are moving and spawning. Through summer, keep the shade — don't prune back the shrubs that cool your log pile. In autumn, allow leaves to gather around refuges rather than sweeping them away. In winter, do nothing at all.

Avoid slug pellets, which are lethal to amphibians, along with other garden chemicals and strimming near dense cover. If cats visit, plant thorny shrubs and prickly hedges at access points to deter them. Never move frogs or newts between ponds, as diseases such as ranavirus and chytrid fungus spread easily that way. If you are lucky enough to have great crested newts, remember they are legally protected, so take advice before disturbing a pond or its surroundings.

Above all, be patient. A log pile left to settle for a season or two, with moss creeping over it and fungi softening the wood, will be quietly colonised — and one warm evening you will find a frog sitting on top of it, entirely unbothered by your efforts.