Plants to go around my pond - for frogs!

Hi all,
I'm after some advice!
I've just been offered some frog spawn for the new pond. I have large stones (some with holes in) around the pond and some plants in it, plus a few around the edge, and I'm about to order some more plants to go in the pond. I wondered if anyone could recommend things to go around the pond for the frogs to hide under when they're out of the water though? Or anything particularly good for in the pond? I'm definitely getting a caltha and a water lily and a bog bean...
Thanks in anticipation.

 

Hi Claire You dont say how big your pond is or if its in sun or shade,or if you have fish or not.....What I will say is that in the first year the frogs dont grow very big,but they do like damp shade.

 

Hi Roders - well, the pond is a sort of kidney-bean shape, and it's around 7 feet long by around 4 feet wide (ish). In one end is a 2 ft ish deep section, with an 8 inch deep shelf running round it, and it slopes up gradually to the other end. There is some largish gravel at the top of the shelved bit. It's pretty sunny most of the time (so I guess my planting will need to give some shade, plus will put in some clay drainpipe pieces perhaps?) except for mid-winter, and i don't have any fish - plan is for it to be a wildlife pond. Soil in the garden seems generally pretty good - I think it's loamy but with a bit of clay.

 

Frogs like lots of damp and wet hiding places with access to free water. They live on land but need to keep their skin moist. Toads on the other hand are fairly dry and really only need free water to spawn in.

Almost any plants and rocks will do for smaller frog cover. Trailing Alpine Strawberies seemed to be a great favorite closely followed by London Pride when I re-did the small pond. The bigger frogs that had overwintered were hiding in the bottom mud amongst reed roots.

For the shady side of a pond you could try ferns and slow growing varigated ivy. Hostas should also do well and the frogs will feast on the slugs they attract. On the sunnier side use virtually any margin plant.

The really important thing is for froglets and frogs to have shelter from burning sun and a means to get in and out of your pond. Cobbles in the shallows and overhanging plants on the steeper sides are ideal.

In a new pond while things are getting established you can also use woven poly garden windbreak draped over the pond edge. When I removed the piece from ours there was a huge clump of spawn underneath it! If you do use this try to use an old piece that has been well weathered as a lot of the plasticisers and other chemicals will have been leeched out by sun, wind and rain. Check it in a bucket of water first just to make sure there is no oil on it

 

Thanks Frogesque, that'll be very helpful - it's brilliant to have specific plants to look for when you're as indecisive in garden centres as I am!
Alpine strawberries sound lovely and hostas sound great - especially if they divert the slugs away from the veg patch, double bonus :D