Built to Evolve
There is something special about seeing what happens after the work is done.
In the pond and water feature industry, we spend a lot of time celebrating the build — the excavation, stonework, engineering and that exciting moment when the water begins to flow. But some of the best stories begin afterward. Ponds mature. Plants establish themselves. Fish grow. Ecosystems find their balance. And, as professionals, we continue learning and evolving right alongside them.
That idea of growth and evolution runs throughout this issue of POND Trade Magazine.
In “Beyond the Build: One Year Later,” Brian Fitzsimmons returns to an extraordinary recreation pond a year after its completion. Mature plantings now soften the landscape, koi have settled into their environment and a new generation of fish has emerged. It is a reminder that a pond is never really finished — it continues to change long after the contractors leave.
Rip Sokol takes us further back in time with “A Pilgrimage to Latour-Marliac.” His journey through France’s legendary water gardens and Monet’s Giverny explores the plants, people and places that helped shape the water gardening industry we know today.
Growth takes another form in Angel Peña’s “Giants of Conservation,” where the remarkable story of the Galapagos tortoise demonstrates what can happen when people commit to protecting and restoring a living ecosystem.
Yvo de Wal takes us “Inside the World’s Largest Koi Collection,” where passion, Japanese influence and sophisticated filtration come together in an extraordinary private facility designed to give world-class koi every opportunity to thrive.
In “The Eliminator Pond,” Carl Petite takes readers behind the scenes of an ambitious recreational swim pond featuring groundwater challenges, massive stonework, a 60-foot grotto and advanced filtration — a project that demonstrates how experience, engineering and craftsmanship continue to push our industry forward.
Carolyn Weise brings us down to the microscopic level with “The Importance of Pond Biofilms.” Her exploration of these microbial communities reminds us that some of the most important activity within a pond is happening where we cannot necessarily see it.
And that brings me to an evolution happening right here at POND Trade.
The 2026 Water Artisan of the Year Awards are officially open and accepting submissions!
Over the past several months, our WATY Committee has worked to strengthen and expand the program, introducing new Project Excellence categories, Special Recognition Awards, standardized judging criteria and a new project nomination process. Our goal is simple: to recognize outstanding work while encouraging water feature professionals at every stage of their careers to participate.
I want to thank our committee for the time and expertise they have dedicated to shaping this year’s program, as well as our 2026 WATY judges, who we are excited to introduce in this issue.
If you have built something you are proud of, submit it. If you know someone who has created something extraordinary, nominate it. Great craftsmanship deserves to be recognized, whether it comes from an emerging professional or someone who has spent a lifetime perfecting the craft.
That is what this issue ultimately reminds me: Great things are built, but the best things continue to evolve.
Whether it is a pond growing into its landscape, a koi reaching its potential, a species recovering or an industry recognizing new generations of talent, there is always another chapter waiting to be written.
I cannot wait to see what our industry submits this year.
Lauren Nolan
Publisher,
POND Trade Magazine
