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Award Winning Landscapes
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Our Team

From ownership and installation to our custom designers and contractors, Sonoran Gardens Landscape, Design & Construction in Tucson, Arizona, has an unmatched team of Southern Arizona outdoor living space experts that will bring you an outdoor paradise beyond what you ever dreamed possible!

Management Team

Chris Niccum, President / Owner
Chris Niccum

President/Owner

Chris has over 40 years experience in the landscape industry.  He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Purdue University and has been employed as a Foreman for landscape firms, Grounds Manager for colleges, Horticulturalist for resort hotels in the Virgin Islands and Director of Grounds for the La Paloma Resort in Tucson.  He is also active in the construction industry and has been President and Board Member of both the Alliance of Construction Trades and the National Subcontractors Alliance.

In 1996 he founded Sonoran Gardens, a landscape design and construction firm that specializes in the creation of attractive and functional residential landscapes.  From the beginning he has operated the company with the simple philosophy that every project is an opportunity to meet a clients needs and exceed their expectations.  As the company has grown he has stayed actively involved with the day to day operations and takes a personal interest in ensuring that every project is completed to the highest standards.

Kira Niccum-Pritzl, Operations Manager
Kira Niccum-Pritzl

Operations Manager

Kira worked as a Development Coordinator for a national real estate development company for six years before joining the Sonoran Gardens team. She has a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Cardinal Stritch University, and prides herself on hard work and dedication to getting every job done. Her experience in managing multiple consultants and maintaining intricate schedules aids in her ability to analyze situations for the most effective outcome.

At Sonoran Gardens she works as the Operations Manager. This position analyzes the day-to-day operations of the company, seeking efficiency strategies, areas for growth and improvement. In addition, she works directly with the Custom Landscape Care team to support the development of this division. Kira's goal is not only to help Sonoran Gardens flourish, but aide in creating the most navigable path to get there!

Construction Team

Matt Niccum
Matt Niccum
Construction Manager

Matt Niccum has worked at Sonoran Gardens for a total of 6 years. He started working summers as a laborer during college, and then as a Construction Foreman and Construction Supervisor after college. He currently holds the position of Construction Manager, and is responsible for the day to day running of the construction jobs at Sonoran Gardens. His years working in the field, on a crew and running a crew, lends him the experience to manage the in-house crews and subcontractors. He is in the field every day meeting with the subcontractors, clients, and in-house crews making sure that the jobs are running on schedule and as planned.

Matt strives to make each project run as smoothly as possible creating a day-by-day calendar and project information sheet that anyone can look at during the project and know where the project currently stands and where the project needs to move. He works directly with everyone involved in the project coordinating each piece of the puzzle to create a finished product that is a beautiful, functional, and livable space for the client. After all, the project is for the client, and they are the ones who will live in the space long after we are done building it.

Custom Care Maintenance

Roberta Braeglemann
Roberta Braegelmann
Custom Care Manager

Roberta started her career with Sonoran Gardens in 1999 as a Landscape Designer. She earned an Associate Degree in Landscape Technology from Pima Community College, focusing her studies in design.

SLM Logo After designing landscapes & outdoor living spaces for nine years Roberta decided to change directions, just a little bit, & started taking care of those landscape. This was the beginning of Sonoran Gardens Custom Landscape Care.

Roberta has earned several awards from the Arizona Landscape Contractors Associate, (ALCA) including a Judges Award in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, an Award of Distinction in 2005 and in 2011 she received ALCA certification for Sustainable Landscape Management. Roberta has also received awards from Tohono Chul Park – ADWAR Xeriscape Contest in 2003, 2004 2005 and was awarded first place for Professional Residential Xeriscape in 2006.

Who better to care for custom landscapes than an award winning designer who has a knack of caring for her clients as well as the plants in the garden.

Design Team

Shelly Ann Abbott
Shelly Ann Abbott

Shelly Ann Abbott, MLA, is a multiple award winning landscape designer and Master of Landscape Architecture. She has won the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum's Xeriscape Contest for 2010 and 2011 in the professional landscape category and is a 2011 ALCA landscape design award winner. Shelly graduated with Honors and a Design Excellence Award from the University of Arizona, and is held in esteem by the community for her high standards in residential landscape design and ethics for the community and the environment.

As a native Tucsonan, Shelly has a long-time understanding of the various microclimates and which plants have the potential to thrive and look fabulous in this hot arid climate. The desert is a place of uncommon beauty, but it can also be quite challenging to landscape. By using a large and varied plant palette that she has made her signature mark in the landscape design field, she has been able to instill her ethic of water conservation and appropriateness of place for Southern Arizona while creating exciting outdoor areas with colorful landscapes that contain year-round interest that help support local wildlife.

"I find that my clients take great pleasure in desert gardens that are breathtakingly colorful and interesting and that contain components that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Daytime temperatures in the desert quickly plummet after the sun goes down, especially in the summer. This is the special time when homeowners want to get outdoors and enjoy their landscape after dark. I love designing night lighting that allows homeowners to enjoy the excitement of their gardens at night too. I have a deep appreciation for landscapes that function as outdoor living spaces with outdoor kitchens, fireplaces and water features which become such great places to gather around and welcome friends and family to spend time".

Shelly conducts residential landscape design workshops at The University of Arizona as adjunct lecturer in the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning at the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, CALA. She regularly teaches classes at Tohono Chul Park on landscape lighting, cultural and historical landscapes throughout the world as they relate to Tucson, and designing gardens that attract native desert pollinators.

Shelly lives in the Tucson area with her husband, Brian, two girls and numerous animals.


Scot Burns
Scot Burns

Scot started his love of garden design and architecture while growing up in rural Michigan. After teaching science, art, and photography, he decided to choose a new path of landscape architecture combining the disciplines. Scot has studied architecture at the University of Arizona and holds a masters degree in landscape architecture. He believes that creating structure in the garden and painting it with plants is the core for a successful and beautiful landscape. Although architectural design and details are a major component of Scot's design expertise, it is the careful selection of plants that is a true passion for him. His personal knowledge of plants is an asset to Sonoran Gardens.

Scot began designing gardens in Tucson. His designs show a love for the desert, while creating lushness and softness without adding maintenance and water. He later moved to California and became a project manager and landscape designer with a nationally acclaimed and award winning landscape architecture firm. The combination of his projects include beautiful homes in the foothills of Tucson's Mountains to estates in Northern California and public, educational, and private developments in Tucson and the San Francisco Bay area. Scot has worked with several top designers, architects, and consultants of all expertise in Arizona and California. Besides designing gardens, Scot has taught landscape and design at the post secondary level.

When not designing gardens, Scot devotes time in the garden and utilizing plants in the kitchen. Growing plants for food can be an interesting challenge in the desert but can be successful. Other interests include photography and hiking.


Rachel Gionanni
Rachel Gionanni

Rachel Gioannini is an APLD Certified Landscape Designer.  She specializes in residential landscape design, incorporating wise plant choices for the fragile desert southwest as well as passive water harvesting and easy-to-implement, earth friendly ideas.  Rachel holds both a BFA and an MFA in technical theater, as well as a certificate in landscape design.  Her experience in theater taught her about scale, color and rhythm and helped her learn to visualize the impact of landscaping. 

Rachel has been working with Sonoran Gardens almost from the first day she became a landscape designer.  She worked for a year as the Construction Coordinator, which added immensely to her understanding of the entire construction and installation process.     Her designs, installed by Sonoran Gardens, have won ALCA Excellence in Landscaping Awards for the past 3 years running.

Rachel enjoys spending time outdoors when not designing.  Her interests include road and mountain biking, backpacking and hiking.  She is actively involved as the treasurer with her local APLD district, as well as NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) and her cycling team, Summit Velo.  She and her husband, Pat, share their home with 3 dogs, 2 cats, a Russian tortoise and a desert box turtle.

Contact us at 520-579-9411 for your complimentary landscape design and installation consultation.

 

Specials

$100 off your custom landscape design! Call for details.

Complimentary Estimates on Custom Landscape Care, Landscape Maintenance, Outdoor Lighting Repair, Irrigation Repair


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Testimonials

"Kathy and I want to thank you for your marvelous expertise, and Juan and Eddie for their excellent work. We are absolutely delighted with the results of your efforts…transforming a Malaysian rain forest into a Sonoran desert in a matter of hours. Hooray! We look forward to working with you again and again." ~ Ted A.

"Paul and I want to thank you for the beautiful job you did on our property over the past month. We so appreciate your professionalism, expertise and all we learned from you. We have invited the builder up to see it. Please use us as a reference at any time. We are very pleased at how lovely it is. I shall miss the young men and all their laughter and help." ~ Connie

"Thank you for a careful and responsive remodel of our backyard. The quality of work is very high and we have appreciated your knowledge and suggestions. We now have a beautiful yard thanks to you." ~ Pat & Jan M.
"Just a short note to thank you for the wonderful work you and your professional team did on my landscape. I am thrilled with the results and very much appreciate your many efforts on our behalf. No challenge was impossible for you! The communication and follow through from everyone at Sonoran Gardens during and after the project was completed has been nothing short of spectacular. P.S. I have given your name and phone number to my new neighbors - think they will need your expertise soon!" ~ Debra

"Thanks again for another especially nice job completed at our residence. We always appreciate the demeanor of your staff and the completeness of the job at hand." ~ Harold

"Thank you so much - you have been so wonderful to work with - and your care to detail is so obvious in the beautiful final result. I can hardly wait for it all to blossom away!" ~ Sally

"Thank you for all you and your folks have done to make our home so beautiful. You certainly can count on us anytime to reference the friendly professionalism of your firm. In a day when customer service seems non-existent, Sonoran Gardens gives customer service their highest priority. Sonoran Gardens is certainly a pleasure to do business with." ~ Rick S.
"I want to thank you and your entire staff for an outstanding job. We are very pleased with the work Sonoran Gardens did and the results accomplished. Everyone one your staff was courteous and willing to work with us during the entire project. We are also very happy that it was completed on time! Please give special thanks to Roberta for the time and energy she devoted to us in the planning process and building phase as well. She was also available to answer questions and helps us in any way possible. We certainly appreciate her efforts. She is an outstanding representative of Sonoran Gardens. We will be enjoying our landscape and patio for many years to come. Again, thank you to you and all your staff." ~ Sam & Lynn W.

"Thank you for the wonderful work you and your professional team did on my landscape. I am thrilled with the results and very much appreciate your many efforts on our behalf. No challenge was impossible for you! The communication and follow through from everyone at Sonoran Gardens during and after the project was completed has been nothing short of spectacular." ~ J.G.

"I'm trying to put a big SMILE into this letter, because that's what is on my face as I write this, glancing over my shoulder to take yet another look at what has happened in the yard. We feel as if we're in an entirely new house." ~ J.M.


Award-Winning Design Plans

1st Place Ribbon The Fosdick residence won 1st place in 2010 for the Professional Landscape Category in the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Xeriscape contest. Visit Our Design Page

2nd Place Ribbon The Cole residence won 2nd place in 2011 for the Professional Landscape Category in the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Xeriscape contest. Visit Our Design Page

Relaxation. Recreation. Your own vacation destination.

Whether it's a lush, tranquil garden oasis with a soothing fountain, an elaborate environment for entertaining, or a backyard recreational paradise, our expert staff can make your vision become a reality. We have extensive experience in all areas of outdoor environments including xeriscape, gardens, water features, boulders, patios, driveways, outdoor fireplaces and more.

Vacation value in your own backyard.

More and more, people are foregoing expensive travel, staying home, and enjoying vacations at home. With your own private oasis or your recreational setting complete with everything from pool to putting green, you can make your stay-home vacation as relaxing or as fun as you desire. No lost luggage. No long lines. No high ticket prices. It's a getaway - without going away!

link to APLD link to ACT Referral Site link to ALCA link to ANPS link to Tucson Botanical Gardens link to Tohono Chul Park link to Better Business Bureau