Common toads (Bufo bufo) are often found in gardens - although often on land, rather than in water.  Common toads generally prefer very large breeding ponds, and toads may repeatedly return to a particular breeding site over many generations.  Most garden ponds are much smaller than typical toad breeding sites, so common toads are less likely to be found in the garden pond than are common frogs.

Toads usually breed during March in the south, or April further north. They typically migrate to their breeding ponds en masse, and can be seen in surprisingly large numbers, for example if their migration route takes them across a road.  Toad spawn is laid in strings, unlike the clumps that frogs lay.

However, as with other amphibians, the majority of the life of the toad is spent on land.  During their time on land, common toads will often range far from their breeding sites, and hence can be found in gardens, which can provide ideal places to seek shelter and find food.