About Us

Our Story

Our roots in the pond trade reach back more than 40 years. Nate, the owner at Practical Garden Ponds, started in the aquatics industry at a pet supply store in the 1980’s. He was breeding fish at home and managing the aquarium department at the store. As the store grew, Nate developed their ornamental pond department. In this way, Nate became an expert in the entire pond building and maintenance process. He even hosted a Saturday afternoon pond forum one summer on a local radio station.

In 2007, Practical Garden Ponds was born as a hobby project during a building fund drive at the church where Nate was a member. In 2014, Nate took the plunge, and Practical Garden Ponds shifted from a hobby project to a full-time vocation and eventually a family-run business which currently employs seven people.

As our internet presence grew so did the opportunity to offer unique items. With our contacts in the Amish community, we began to offer Amish made water wheels and other yard decoration. Outdoor furniture extended our sales from “inside” the pond to “around” the pond, and Shoofly Amish Furniture (our other website) was realized.

Now, through www.PracticalGardenPonds.com we offer a very complete line of pond, fountain and water feature products. With www.ShooflyAmishFurniture.com we can provide a huge selection of indoor and outdoor furniture from “Flat-Packed” and shippable by UPS and Fed Ex Ground, to fully assembled Poly Lawn Furniture and even custom made hardwood furniture ordered in our local boutique in Downingtown PA.

Whether you are new to the pond hobby or an experienced pond professional, at PGP we can meet your needs and provide professional advice to help you get the results you envision. For those with no water features, we have Amish-made furniture that may pique your interest. If either of our interests are your hobbies too, we look forward to serving you!

We are located at 507B W Uwchlan Ave, Downingtown, PA 19335

Boutique Hours:

Monday - Friday: 8:00am - 4:30pm

Saturday - Sunday: Closed

Afterhours and weekends - by appointment only.

 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!