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Attracting frogs to your garden can bring some great benefits. You can take advantage of their ability to hunt pests. Even though some gardeners dislike the presence of the amphibian, it can be a huge helper to keep your yard healthy. Encouraging more biodiversity is a solid idea to preserve the natural harmony of your garden. It’s also quite fun if you have a pond to see little tadpoles growing into adult frogs.
Besides having a pond for laying eggs, one of the best solutions to attract frogs in the garden is to use plants they like. By choosing the correct plant species, you will make sure that amphibians will visit your area. At the same time, you can avoid plants that may be potentially poisonous. Many shrubs and plants offer benefits to frogs because they can stay hidden in the vegetation when hunting for their prey. It’s usually recommended to focus on plants indigenous to your local area but this isn’t absolutely required.
Take a look at some of the best frog-friendly plants to include in your garden:
1. Rigid Hornwort
When it comes to plants that frogs like, you should focus on enriching the pond vegetation. Rigid hornwort is a good example because this aquatic plant can contribute to oxygenating the pond. It simply floats in the water and grows easily even if the pond gets a bit of shade. The best part about this feathery-leaved plant is that it’s also quite simple to propagate as needed.
2. Water Forget-Me-Not
An ideal choice for water gardens, this delicate perennial can be considered a low-maintenance plant that’s liked by frogs. Whereas other pond-friendly plants are usually used for their utility, water forget-me-not is primarily chosen for its aesthetics. The plant features shiny foliage and small sky blue flowers. It’s highly resistant to pests and can be grown in shallow water.
3. White Water Lily
Floating plants are great options for a pond. They will surely attract frogs because lots of insect prey use the provided surface for egg-laying. White water lily is a notable floating plant that you should integrate into your garden. It’s an aquatic perennial that’s not only beneficial for frogs but will also improve the appearance of any backyard pond. Keep in mind that you can only grow this plant to its full potential if you have sufficient space for it.
4. Hosta
A favorite for many gardeners, hosta can be grown easily in different environments. There are lots of species and hybrid variants to choose from to bring a pop of color into the yard. Hostas are attractive to frogs because of the tall and dense foliage that provides excellent shelter. We recommend this plant for multiple types of gardens where you need lush foliage in various colors and beautiful patterns.
5. Horsetail
Horsetail is easy to grow and tall enough to be appealing for frogs. There are also some uses for horsetail herbs making this plant worth considering even more. Horsetail is related to ferns and can be grown with minimal effort in poor soil conditions. It’s not a fussy plant given how it prefers wet or boggy areas. As long as the climate isn’t too dry, horsetail will thrive nicely in your garden.
6. Flag Iris
Another moisture-loving plant, the flag iris is worth planting in a garden with the intention of attracting frogs. This is a hardy plant that prefers wet areas to flourish. There are two main types of flag irises. The first is the blue variety that shows brilliant blue-violet flowers. The second is the yellow flag iris that’s found everywhere in North America along wetlands and rivers. This one is a great ornamental pond plant with striking yellow blooms.
7. Water Violet
Despite its name, the water violet is not really a violet. It’s a type of water primrose that grows ideally in ponds. As the name suggests, the water violet is an aquatic plant that only shows its white flower spikes above the surface of the water. This plant has a high sensitivity to water pollution and oxygenates water very efficiently. It’s highly recommended for growing in a pond garden.
8. Water Hyacinth
Another great water garden plant, the water hyacinth offers an attractive cluster of purple flowers and can be a good fit for your pond. It’s so easy to grow that it can actually outcompete all the surrounding water vegetation. Make sure you keep it thinned if the growing conditions allow it to expand too much.
9. Amazon Frogbit
A native of the South and Central Americas, the Amazon frogbit is primarily used as a great aquarium plant. It’s extremely adaptable and can even become invasive in certain areas such as California. Amazon frogbits are floating plants that see frequent usage in aquascaping. It’s a very well-liked plant by frogs so consider including it in your garden if you have a pond.
10. Spiked Water Milfoil
Known to offer shelter for aquatic creatures such as frogs, spiked water milfoil represents an excellent choice for your garden. It can live submerged in a backyard pond where it shows feathery leaves on the water’s surface. The aquatic plant produces some small flowers in the summer. Keep in mind that it can spread very fast so spiked water milfoil is considered an invasive species in some regions of North America.
