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“I heard some growling from the shallow pond”, said the text message, from my mother. Frogs have been hiding under rocks and shrubbery in my mum's garden since she moved in nearly 17 years ago; but this is the first time there has been any 'growling

crucial time of year for wildlife? And it's not just ponds. In February I witnessed the clearing of shrubs and ivy by some councils - which were surely providing shelter for numerous hibernating creatures - and I've also seen contractors trimming hedges

again, I’ve been dreaming about a big, leafy, watery garden. But why three ponds? Well, they would be of different sizes and depths, and therefore attract a wide range of wildlife. I would dig a large, deep pond, a medium-sized pond and a small, shallow

In January I blogged about 'winterkill', after letters, emails and blog comments flooded in from gardeners who'd found dead frogs in their ponds. One commenter, Wishful Thinker, suggested I blog about winterkill before winter, so people can take

This week at gardenersworld.com we've received lots of letters, emails and blog comments from people who have found dead frogs in their pond. I've not seen my rescue frogs since October – I'm hoping they’re tucked up safely in the compost bin

While the growling frogs in my mum's shallow pond have gone quiet (“and who can blame them, the pond completely froze over last week”, observed my mother), a pair of robins has been busy in the garden of my mother-in-law. Despite the bad weather

We didn't have a pond when I was growing up. I always wanted one, but blew it after trying to walk on water once at Notcutts. I was hauled out and sent home wearing a bin bag, which put paid to any attempts at having a pond at home until many years

the audit. High scorers included Adam Pasco and Lucy Hall (78 points each), who narrowly missed being Wildlife Champions because they don't have ponds. David Hurrion came second with 70 points, being let down by his formal fish pond and lack of lawn. Tamsin

a short flight to the raspberries, comfrey and clover he grows.If you want wildlife nesting in your garden, then build log and leaf piles, start a compost heap, leave a messy area, plant nectar-rich flowers and dig a pond. You could also use an old

startled in Dorset was probably a slow worm or grass snake (pictured above). These benign species often turn up in gardens, mostly in the south of England, and very rarely in the north. They bask in rockeries, feed in ponds and breed in compost heaps