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Be Plant Wise, a government campaign to halt the spread of non-native, invasive pond plant species in our ponds, streams and rivers, was launched this week.The five key culprits listed on the Be Plant Wise website are: floating pennywort

Pond plantsWater enhances any garden, and there are a wide range of aquatic plants that will thrive when submerged in a pond. We spoke to expert grower Linda Smith at BBC Gardeners' World Live 2009, who recommended 10 of the best plants for garden

rectangular or square pond can still be wildlife friendly. Straight edges can easily be disguised with plants, both in and outside of the pond.To attract the widest range of wildlife, create areas of shallow water (around 2-3cm deep), which are essential

I have always found plants with big leaves fascinating. I love hearing raindrops pattering on leaf canopies whilst pushing through an overgrown path, surrounded by plants that are bigger than me. It is probably a deep-rooted jungle instinct. I have

been quite formal.I initially laid it out about ten years ago, based on a pattern I found in a picture of some pierced stonework in a palace in India. It formed a lattice of little paths around a central brick pond and fountain. But the timber edgings

interest and an instant snack for birds.Install a bird bath, where birds can drink and clean their feathers - essential for insulationBirdsFrogs, toads and newts overwinter in log and leaf piles, or beneath stones and plant pots. Some rest in the mud

to deadhead half of it after flowering so that I would get a second flush around now but got distracted and now it is too late. Oh well, there is always next year.My second mistake was one of omission: there is an area around my pond consisting of a series

-style southern garden and the northern garden, which nodded towards the French style. The latter consisted of an oval arranged around a central pond. The surrounding borders were extraordinary: absolutely jam-packed with a fabulous array of about 2000 coloured

-in-law's garden, where it overhangs her pond — it was love at first sight. Who could resist the delightful, slightly curled leaves? Especially when, come the autumn, they transform into an extraordinarily flamboyant conflagration of red and orange. Parrotias

. Plant trees to act as roosts, and berry-producing plants, such as holly, to entice thrushes into the garden. Create a pond to provide a habitat for frogs, newts and toads, all of which consume unfeasibly high numbers of slugs each night.More on molluscs