Press release: At 100 years old, Lilypons Water Gardens becomes a woman-owned, and all woman-managed, business.

At 100 years old, Lilypons Water Gardens becomes a woman-owned and all woman-managed business.

On August 4, 2017, 100 years after the company’s founding, family patriarch Charles B. Thomas has officially passed ownership of the business and grounds on to his oldest daughter, Margaret Thomas Koogle and her spouse Timothy Koogle.

Mrs. Koogle has been managing the business on her father’s behalf since 1997 and is determined to ensure the family business thrives for another century. "I am humbled and honored to be the fourth generation owner of Lilypons Water Gardens,”  says Koogle, “I'm proud to lead an extremely talented and loyal staff and to continue our reputation to serve our clients with truly named water lilies, lotus, bog plants, quality products, advice, and exceptional service.”

Lilypons Water Gardens was started in June of 1917 by G. Leicester Thomas Sr., under the name Three Springs Fisheries.

The Company started as a fish hatchery and quickly grew to be one of the largest suppliers of goldfish, shipping fish to stores around the country. Business was so robust that in 1935, the US Postal Service established a post office on site specifically dedicated to the large volume of mail order parcels.

The name for this new post office came from Mr. Thomas' adoration of operatic diva of the time Lily Pons. Naming a place full of lily ponds after her seemed like the perfect fit. Ms. Pons and her publicity staff enthusiastically agreed but the Postal Service required a single-word name, thus Lilypons, Maryland was born. On June 20, 1936, the post office was officially dedicated to Lily Pons. The opera singer traveled to the Washington DC suburb especially for the occasion, a gala of much pomp and circumstance, and even sang an aria on the front porch.    

Over time the company took a more botanical path, shifting from growing and supplying goldfish to focus on water gardening and cultivating waterlilies.  In 1978 company president Charles B. Thomas officially changed the name to Lilypons Water Gardens.

Now celebrating its 100^th year of existence, Lilypons Water Gardens continues to be The Source for Water Gardening for the nation, providing beautiful plants and quality pond supplies to customers across the country and Margaret sees great potential for growth.  In time, she intends to expand on service offerings and improve the site’s amenities to enhance its attraction to gardeners and outdoor lovers.   She and her dedicated staff looking forward to building on the company’s reputation of excellence and leadership in the industry. 

Lilypons Water Gardens is located at 6800 Lily Pons Road in Adamstown, MD 21710. We can be reached by phone at 800 999 5459 or online at www.lilypons.com.

Company president Margaret Koogle (center) with office manager Melissa Richard

and operations manager Suzanne Boom