“We founded Water Stone Gardens to bring the natural beauty of ecosystems into our everyday environment. We strive to work with nature to blend our water gardens into the surroundings so the feature looks like a natural. We're in it for the birds, the butterflies, the fish and especially the frogs. Amidst a chaotic world, we're happy to create a little slice of paradise, no matter how big or small.”
— Youssef Darwich
Water Stone Gardens was founded in 2020 to bring the beauty and balance of natural ecosystems into our everyday environment.
Rather than installing artificial landscapes, the focus is on building living systems, ponds and waterfalls where water, stone, plants, fish, and wildlife work together naturally. The best water features should not look like they were built by the hands of man. Over time they soften, grow in, and become part of the landscape around them. Birds arrive, frogs move in, plants mature, and the water garden slowly becomes what it was always meant to be.
Designs are approached by first observing the big picture. The shape of the land, views from the house, sunlight, and existing landscape elements all help guide the design. The pond is not forced into a space but rather it is arrived at, ensuring it blends seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.
Rather than a piece of technology, our filtration systems are hidden and appear like a natural spring. By using biology, rather than chemicals, we achieve crystal clear water that is healthy for you and the bees.
Artistry plays a large role in achieving this natural effect. Poorly built ponds often reveal themselves through out of place rock placement—what builders sometimes call a “ring of pearls,” where stones form an unnatural outline around the pond—or waterfalls that resemble stacked volcanoes instead of mountain streams. At Water Stone Gardens, the goal is subtlety. Our goal is to make it look like we were never there; rather it was nature who did all the work.
Our Team
Youssef, Founder and Frog Enthusiast
In 2020 Youssef founded Water Stone Gardens to help transform everyday landscapes into ecological oasis that soothe, inspire and bring people closer to nature.
Prior to starting the company, Youssef Managed the GVSU Sustainable Agriculture Project, where he introduced thousands of students to agriculture and techniques to work with nature.
Today, that background shapes the way he approaches water gardens. each pond is treated as a carefully crafted living canvas.
As Youssef often tells clients; “My goal is to make it look like I was never here and it was nature who did all the work.”
Now, outside of building ponds, Youssef and his wife Kali are developing a 40 acre chestnut farm in Oceana county. As chestnuts live over 2,000 years, the farm reflects the same long term philosophy that guides the ponds we build - carefully crafted landscapes leave a long lasting legacy.
Kali, Chief Vision Officer
Kali joined the team in 2021, shortly after marrying Youssef next to a waterfall—an event that quietly sealed her role in the company’s future.
As Chief Vision Officer, she contributes to the creative direction of Water Stone Gardens through storytelling, messaging, and content creation. Much of her work happens behind the scenes, helping communicate the ideas and philosophy behind the landscapes being built.
She is also the driving force behind the future swim pond planned for the farm around 2026.
Oakley, Branch Manager
Oakley has been part of Water Stone Gardens since the company’s founding and was promoted to Branch Manager in 2022 after demonstrating consistent leadership as a very good boy.
His responsibilities include job site supervision, wildlife inspection, morale management, and perimeter patrols to ensure no unauthorized squirrels interfere with construction operations. Oakley maintains a strong presence on job sites and is particularly skilled at identifying frogs, turtles, and sticks that require further investigation.
Plankton, Director of Dirt
Plankton joined the team in 2025 as the company’s compact green excavator.
Small in size but surprisingly strong, Plankton specializes in tight-access excavation, careful grading, and lifting well above his pay grade. He plays an important role shaping ponds and moving stone in places where larger equipment cannot operate.
Co-Conspirators
Water Stone Gardens is part of a national network of professional pond builders connected through training and certification with Aquascape. We leave no stone left unturned through our thorough design process.
These collaborations bring builders together from across the country to work on ambitious projects. One recent build involved helping construct a 1.2-million-gallon ecosystem pond across Lake Michigan.
Decades of collective knowledge came together like a symphony of moving stone, shaping waterfalls, and crafting ecosystems. Our builders constantly teach and learn from one another, creating results far greater than any one individual could accomplish alone.
In many ways, that spirit of collaboration reflects the same principle that guides every Water Stone Gardens project:
When the right elements work together, something remarkable can happen.
Ready to learn more?
Reach out for a free phone consultation to see how Water Stone Gardens can help transform your landscape.