Why a shady pond is worth planting

Shade is often seen as a drawback for a garden pond, but it can be a gift. Cooler water holds more oxygen, which suits frogs, newts and dragonfly nymphs, and it discourages the thick blanketweed that plagues sunny ponds in summer. The trade-off is leaf litter and lower light levels, so choose your plants with care. Get it right and a shady pond becomes one of the richest wildlife habitats in the garden, alive with damselflies, water boatmen and the occasional visiting hedgehog.

Siting, size and liner

Aim for dappled shade rather than deep, dry gloom under dense evergreens. A few hours of morning sun will help flowering plants and encourage dragonflies to bask. Avoid placing the pond directly under a large deciduous tree if you can, or accept that autumn leaf clearing will become a regular job. As a rule, make the pond at least 1.5 metres by 1 metre, with a central depth of 60–75cm and shallow shelves at 20–30cm for planting. Use butyl rubber liner over a soft underlay and a 2–3cm layer of sand, and keep the shape irregular. Leave one edge as a shallow beach. If tree roots are nearby, fit a root barrier before you fill.

Native oxygenators for dappled water

Oxygenators are the engine room of a wildlife pond. They compete with algae, shelter tadpoles and provide egg-laying sites for newts and dragonflies. Plant native species suited to shade: hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum), water starwort (Callitriche stagnalis) and spiked water-milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum). Common water crowfoot (Ranunculus aquatilis) will also cope with light shade and offers white flowers in summer. Plant in baskets filled with loam and topped with gravel, or let hornwort float free. Aim for one bunch per half square metre and never add fertiliser. Avoid invasive non-natives such as New Zealand pygmyweed, parrot's feather and water fern, which can smother everything.

Marginals and edge plants that tolerate shade

Around the margins, choose natives that cope with less sun and provide cover, nectar and seed heads.

• Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) for early yellow flowers and frog cover.
• Water forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides) for long-lasting blue blooms.
• Ragged robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) for pink froth in damp shade.
• Lesser spearwort (Ranunculus flammula) for small buttercup flowers.
• Soft rush and pendulous sedge for vertical structure and dragonfly perches.
• Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) if you have room; it is vigorous, so keep it in a basket.
• Royal fern and lady fern for the damp soil at the pond edge.

Plant on the shelves in baskets or directly into the soil, and keep taller species on the far side so they do not hide the water. Leave a few gaps of bare mud for frogs and newts to bask.

A gentle slope for hedgehogs — and no fish

Hedgehogs can swim, but they drown if they cannot climb out. Create one gentle slope of 20–30 degrees, lined with pebbles, cobbles or a rough wooden ramp. A shallow beach just 5cm deep at the edge will also help frogs, newts and voles. Never leave vertical liner walls without an escape route. And if you want frogs, newts and dragonflies, leave out fish. Goldfish, carp and even small native sticklebacks eat frogspawn, tadpoles, newt larvae and dragonfly nymphs. They also stir up nutrients and turn clear water green. A fish-free pond is the single best decision you can make for amphibians and insects.

Planting, aftercare and seasonal rhythm

Plant oxygenators and marginals in spring or early autumn, when the water is warming but not hot. In autumn, rake fallen leaves out before they sink; they break down into sludge and feed algae. Check the rake for newts and frogs before you empty it. Leave some leaf litter and seed heads around the edge for hibernating insects and hedgehogs. In spring, divide crowded marginals and thin oxygenators. In summer, top up with rainwater from a butt, never tap water, which contains chlorine and chloramine. Twirl blanketweed out with a stick rather than using chemicals. Then be patient. Frogs usually arrive first, newts take longer, and dragonflies and damselflies will follow once the pond has settled. A shady wildlife pond may start slowly, but it will reward you for years.