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A frog-friendly garden feature created using plastic basins with PVC pipes, pebbles and water plants.
The project
I am currently creating a sanctuary garden in my backyard under a massive magnolia tree. When I first bought my home the yard was pretty bland, and under the tree was a big dirt patch where only weeds grow. I have always wanted a Frog hotel and mini lily pond and I thought this would be the perfect place for it since I hear frogs around the property quite regularly. The frog hotel and mini lilly pond is only a small part of what i'm doing but was a project in itself, it was a about half a day's worth of work.
Steps
Step 1
Find the spot in your garden where you wish to add this feature, a few things to take into consideration are whether it's protected and whether it gets enough sun for your water lily.
The purpose of building a frog hotel is to give tree frogs somewhere to remain safe from predators. So a good place is under a tree with filtered light, think about how the frogs will get to the hotel or pond safely. I placed mine under some low hanging branches and as you will see towards the end I added a laneway to the hotel as well.
Step 2
Take both round basins and decide on the layout. I placed the small one at the back and the large one at the front.
Turn them upside down and make a indent in the dirt to give you a guide where to dig. Dig both holes to a depth of your preference. I placed the large one completely level to the ground and the small one at the back was only half way into the ground.
You don't have to use plastic basins, you can use more decorative pots but I was trying to cut costs and I wanted to use other items to make it look more natural as you will see.
Step 3
Start to place some of you river rock around the basins to hold them in place and make sure you are happy with positioning. Be mindful to make sure both basins are completely level to avoid water spilling out one side.
Step 4
Optional laneway.
Measure and cut one long piece of PVC pipe that can hang from close to the tree branches down to just above the plants surrounding the frog hotel. This piece will require a hole drilled into it for the hanging basket hook.
Step 5
Take your remaining PVC pipes and measure them to the length you like. I had mine all at different lengths and was somewhat restricted because I was using PVC pipes I found in the garage. Once measured cut with the reciprocating saw and sand down the edges.
I was told to drill a hole 15-20cm from one end of each pipe to stop it holding too much water. But I found this wasn't very necessary as I didn't seal the bottom of the pipes.
Step 6
Take your hessian garden bag and cut the stitching so you have one big piece. Then measure against your PVC pipes. You will find that where the bag was stitched together there is a hem I wrapped this around the visible end of the pipe. Glue the hessian to the pipe, you can use a hot glue gun but I thought I'd try my luck with some Tarzan's Grip and so far so good.
Step 7
Place the pipes in the back (smaller) basin and start to add river rocks and natural mixed pebbles to hold them in place being mindful not to over fill it. You can secure the pipes with silicon or a hot glue gun but I decided not to.
Step 8
Start to add plants. I had a few water plants and a few plants to add amongst the rocks. I took my time deciding where to put everything but your bottom basin should be perfect for a mini water lilly. Be mindful when shopping not to buy one too big for this space.
Try to add rain water to the basins if possible as frogs don't like tap water.
Step 9
If you decided to follow step 4 and add a laneway, hang it in your desired location. As you can see it was perfect to hang from my fence. I added a plant to this as well but I am not sure if it will last, I'll be keeping an eye on it to see if I need to make changes.
Step 10
Final step, add any final river rocks and natural mixed pebbles. Add any decorative items, I added some branches I found and a cute stone frog in hope it will confuse the frogs predators.
Tools and materials
Materials used in the project:
- Hessian garden bag 110L
- 9L round plastic basin
- 16L round plastic basin
- PVC pipe (various widths)
- Medium sanding sponge
- High-strength glue
- Black square hanging basket hook
- 5kg natural mixed pebbles
- River rock
- Assorted water plants.
Tools used in the project:
How to install a garden pond
A pond is a wonderful water feature for any garden. You can use a rigid pre-made pond or design your own using flexible pond liner. Experienced community member Adam has shared a step-by-step guide How to install a garden pond complete with video. For those with limited space, check out Adam's guide How to create a pond in a pot.
More inspiration for your garden
Adam built a pond with built-in seating as a relaxing space to enjoy the garden.
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