About Us

Our Story

Our roots in the pond trade reach back more than 30 years. Nate, the owner of Practical Garden Ponds, started into the aquatics industry at a pet supply store in the 1980s, working with aquariums and fish breeding. Soon he started the pond department there, expanding his experience from selling fish and supplies to maintaining ponds and even building new ponds throughout Chester County, PA.

Nate started Practical Garden Ponds in 2007 as a side project so that he could contribute to a church building fund. Over the years, it gradually shifted from a hobby to a full-time job to a family-run business with 10 employees! We now have two departments: a local contracting team specializing in pond design, construction, and maintenance; and an online retail team serving both contractors and do-it-yourself pond owners throughout the United States.

 Our Culture

We offer competitive prices together with these other advantages:

• We love water and wildlife. Ponds are a passion of ours.
• We have years of pond experience. Our team is pond-knowledgeable, able to answer questions and help solve challenges you may come across with the pond.
• We give recommendations for your pond. We consider your desired budget, the pond’s characteristics, and your goals for the pond.
• We value reliability in our work. That means attentiveness, integrity, supportiveness.
  • We aim to answer all phone calls during business hours. If we miss your call, we get back to you the same or next business day.
  • We strive for realistic, truthful communication — not to over-promise or under-deliver.
  • We don’t leave you stranded if something goes wrong, whether that means helping with a product warranty or getting an answer to a puzzling question.

May you enjoy your fish, your pond, the water features that you love!