It was spring and COVID had shut down the world. To keep busy, Yosef Zakon of Monsey did gardening and landscaping at his parents’ house. Growing up, he had often mowed the lawn for his folks, and would try his hand at landscaping.
Then one day he thought of putting in a waterfall. However, he really didn’t know what such an endeavor entailed. He had been toying with the idea for a while but finally decided to go ahead. He did some searching and ordered a water feature from Amazon.
But he just wasn’t impressed, and realized he relished the exhilaration of building his own waterfall from his own design. That notion sparked something inside him and he quickly discovered that creating aquatic gardens and waterfalls would propel his yard work enjoyment to a whole new level.
Since this was new territory for Yosef, he began by doing extensive research and readily admits that his first few attempts fell short. But, undeterred, he soldiered on and decided to approach the endeavor by taking it to a whole different level.
He used all his own money and started by renting a tractor and buying all the necessary materials to execute his vision. After two months of creating, building and putting on the final touches, the project was officially complete.
But he still wasn’t completely satisfied with the final product, so he decided to redo it once more. In the process he gained a lot more insight by attending industry events and regularly visiting businesses that manufacture and sell waterfalls and other garden supplies. He watched YouTube videos of industry giants who had huge followings and offered all sorts of training and courses. He diligently studied all the fine details, mechanisms and other components that went into the creation of an aquatic garden, ultimately expanding his knowledge and understanding to a highly professional level.
Before long he completed the second iteration of his waterfall and his efforts paid off. Not only did he perfect his vision, but his neighbors began to take notice. Calls started pouring in from all over asking Yosef to create similar oases for their own yards.
And he did, completing several more gardens before he set off to Israel to spend his gap year studying at Reishit.
The day of Yosef’s flight he was notified that he got “YouTubed” by a famous aquatic gardener named, Greg Witzstock—The Pond Guy. Greg had met Yosef at an industry event and was impressed by the young entrepreneur. He thought it would be a great idea to feature the newcomer on his channel. Propelled by the excitement of getting recognized by a top industry notable, Yosef went off to Israel and officially decided to start his business.
While in Israel, Yosef was able to take several courses on landscaping aquatic gardens and constructing waterfalls. He created an LLC, built a website and obtained the necessary insurance.
In the meantime, the calls keep coming and Yosef is planning for a busy summer of design, maintenance and installation. He says projects typically take anywhere from a few days to a week to complete, depending on the scope and size of the endeavor, and can include any number of features including waterfalls, ponds, fountains and more. One of the best characteristics of waterfalls is that they can be integrated into any size landscape, so they tend to be a popular option.
Yosef begins by asking his clients several questions about what they want and how much they want to budget for it. He will then come to inspect the site to see what, if any, requirements are needed for proper installation. He’ll come up with a design and then gather all the necessary products to execute your dream yard.
If you’re now inspired to have your own aquatic paradise, you can email Zaquatic Gardens at zaquatic.gardens@gmail or call 845-826-6995.
Instagram: zaquatic_gardens
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yosef.zakon
YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LnpLP3GM32U
Website: https://www.zaquaticgardens.com
