Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Boring.
Hi Matt , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was working as a landscape designer back in 1999 when I discovered ecosystem water gardens. I felt that they would be a great way to set my work apart from other people working in my field. I partnered with my then-boss the following year to start a new company focused on creating natural looking ponds for our clients.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been smooth sailing. We opened our first store on September 1, 2001 and I sunk my life’s savings into stocking the place and getting it open. Ten days later, the planes hit the World Trade Center and the economy was thrown into a tailspin. I pretty much lost everything and had to start completely over. Rather than selling pond products for people to install, we focused solely on creating our own backyard ponds for our clients.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We were the first company in the Austin area pushing the concept of ecosystem ponds that function without chemicals. Our ponds stay clean, clear, and healthy by creating a balance between the plants, fish, and filtration, both biological and mechanical. It was a new concept at the time, but nowadays most pond companies follow this design.
In addition to functioning naturally, we also strive to make our ponds look natural as well. We use natural stone to create our waterfalls and ponds. My foreman Mando and I have been working together for over 22 years and have more experience doing what we do than any other company in the area that builds ponds. I still work on every project personally. It’s a passion for us.
Over the years, we’ve attended many hands-on training events to improve our skills. We even worked on the Aquascape crew in Chicago when some of their team members were busy filming their TV show. At this point in our careers, we want our next project to be the best thing we’ve ever done!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
We were quite fortunate in our early years to have caught the attention of KLRU’s Central Texas Gardener show. They featured our ponds on a couple of their broadcasts and even had me on the show as a guest.
The Austin Pond Society has also been a great supporter and has included our ponds on their annual Pond Tour for decades.
A few years ago, we were contacted by Paul Olveisi to create an ecosystem pond for the Cosmic Coffee and Beer Garden. As his concept of this outdoor eating and drinking place was successful, he had us build two more water features on their property on Pickle Road. Cosmic really helped put us on the map and show the public what we can do.
We recently installed a 200-foot stream with multiple waterfall elements for the Leona Botanical Cafe and Bar on Brodie Lane near William Cannon. It’s a collaboration between Veracruz All Natural
and DeeDee’s Thai Food and it’s scheduled to open in November of 2025. We can’t wait for people to experience the botanical garden atmosphere at this location as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://TexasPonds.com
- Instagram: TexasPonds
- Other: Email us at texasponds@gmail.com
Image Credits
Matt Boring
Juan Sanchez
