creeping jenny is brilliant for this job as it is happy to hang in but not grow in your pond .

thanks for the reply, i'll check it out.
Any other ideas are most welcome from other members too.

your more than welcome . some nice shaded caves etc from natural stone will help your natural pond and help frogs etc round your pond to . the more growth round your pond the happier the inhabitants will be .

wildlife ponds are better not having fish so they don't eat all the eggs that are laid or the smaller creatures. We have a very successful wildlife pond, no fish, but tons of snails, newts, frogs, dragonflies, pond skaters, and even a grass snake comes to sun itself on the weed in the middle!! Small iris are nice for colour, grasses keep it natural and mimulas are nice although a bit invasive! Hope your pond develops well!

if you have grass snakes any fish that are the size or smaller than the snakes mouth will become lunch lol . youd be surprised how big a goldfish a large grass snake can eat . i agree about not having fish in a wildlife pond apart from sticklebacks as most of its diet consists of mosquito and its the sort of conditions the fish likes . in the breeding seasen the males are apserlutly stunning in colour and build an intricate excuse my spelling nest and gaurd it . being so small they do realy well .