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History & Philosophy
The Beginnings
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Founded in 1979, Sonoran Desert Designs, Inc. quickly became established as having innovative and unique approaches to landscape architecture and installation. Early work demonstrated that a colorful, green environment could be created using drought tolerant plants. Our approach of creating landscapes with proper plant selection that would withstand the harsh elements, as well as long-term use by the client was also revolutionary. Combining these approaches, Sonoran Desert was able to create environments that were aesthetically pleasing, as well as functional and lasting.
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As time progressed, it became evident that the types and quantities of native plants necessary to achieve our objectives were not commercially available. The Ironwoods, Palo Verdes, Native Mesquites, and large shrubs found throughout the desert were not being produced by the wholesale nursery industry. The appeal of this plant material led Sonoran Desert to begin salvaging creosote into 15-gallon containers. The success we had with these led us to attempt boxing small trees at a construction site. At the time, the successful salvage of a small Mesquite tree into a 36" box was a milestone. This advance led to the creation of Desierto Verde, Inc. in 1982 to pursue the salvage and propagation of native and desert-adapted trees. Sonoran Desert focused on the replanting of the salvaged material to create lasting landscapes with maturity that could not be duplicated in a lifetime or in many cases, several lifetimes without the use of large native trees. |
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Desert Highlands Era
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The creation of a successful tree salvaging technique led to our obtaining a contract to conduct revegetation during the initial stages of construction at Desert Highlands. The developer's confidence in our abilities enabled us to refine the concept of transplant revegetation to include mature trees, large shrubs, small shrubs and cacti, as well as reseeding native annuals to restore scared desert to a quality and appearance that had not been previously seen or expected. Sonoran Desert then developed the landscape philosophy and the art of integrating native and non-native trees and shrubs to transition from natural desert to something more green and colorful at the building. This "enhanced desert" concept left most people wondering where the desert ended and the landscaping began. |
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Diversification & Growth
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Desert Highlands became the model for exclusive desert developments. Sonoran Desert's success at Desert Highlands led to our involvement with Carefree Foothills, The Peak, Sincuidados, Eagles Glen, Ballantrae Ridge, Skye Top at Troon and the Fifth Green at the Boulders. The golf course work at Desert Highlands led to other golf course salvage and revegetation, most notably the courses at Estancia in Scottsdale, Eagle Ridge in Fountain Hills, Ventana Canyon in Tucson and the Barton Creek Club in Austin, Texas. Our proven abilities to perform work in environmentally sensitive areas have continued to the present. In the spring of 1991, Sonoran Desert was chosen as a consultant to oversee the planting of large boxed native shrubs at the Pelican Hill Golf Course in Newport Beach, California. We were instrumental in the transition of the golf course back into the native vegetation at the ocean's edge. |
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Summary
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Sonoran Desert Designs has had an historic impact on development in the desert. Our determination to use large, salvaged native trees, a design element not previously available, made mature landscapes a reality. We also dispelled the myth that desert landscaping could only be unnaturally colored decomposed granite and cacti. The "enhanced desert" concept has proven successful and is now taken for granted. Sonoran Desert continues to design and install high quality, mature landscapes. At the same time, we have gained credibility and the registrations necessary to expand and provide traditional landscape architectural services such as site planning and preparation of construction document packages. The result is the ability to design, install and maintain mature landscapes that enable developments to appear carefully integrated into the natural surroundings. |
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