Foothills

Desert plants are his passion

When Mark and Margaret Sitter came here in 1989, they bought a tract house in Southwest Tucson's Presidio Hills, where their small yard had no landscaping. "I never considered putting in grass," Mark said. "I wanted to grow these wonderful plants from around the world that usually grow on windowsills but out here can be large, wonderful, fascinating plants outdoors." To learn about desert plants, the Sitters volunteered at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Mark's natural talent for landscape design and passion for cacti and succulents soon led to a full-time job - and a 10-year tenure at the museum as a self-taught horticulturist. Margaret, who has an associate's degree in graphic arts from Pima Community College, was later hired as a graphics technician at the museum. One of Mark's most satisfying works is the redesign of some of the landscaping at the museum. "I designed it to show what you can do with rocks and boulders and bold forms and textures . . . ," he said. "Cacti and succulents were considered accent plants, but I looked on them as foundation plants. We wanted a dramatic, stunning landscape. It was an opportunity to show fascinating plants from our region to visitors from around the world." Among his designs is the Trichocereus cactus area, where the waves of flowers that bloom from mid-April to mid-June bring so many visitors that it is often difficult to walk the paths. "People are amazed at the size and color of the flowers," he said. "Mark has a real sense not only of design, but he also knows which plants will do well and where to put them to make a good, lasting landscape," said Mark Dimmit, director of natural history at the museum and internationally known for his pioneering work with hybrid desert plants. "He planted the Trichocereus exhibit at the museum beautifully. It's one of the most eye-catching exhibits we have." As their knowledge of cacti and succulents grew, the Sitters started a small side business called Gecko Cactus. Earlier this year, they took a bigger plunge, purchasing the B&B Cactus Farm in the Santa Catalina Foothills when the original owners retired. Gecko Cactus became its parent company, with plans to merge the two. "We made the biggest financial decision of our lives," Mark said. "But I was confident that with my contacts and experience, we could do it. So far, the response to us has been beyond our wildest expectations. B&B began in 1981, and it has become a destination landmark nursery. It is highly thought of locally and nationally. We're very, very pleased." The Sitters, who met when both were flight attendants for Pan American Airways, said the response from other local cacti and succulent nursery owners has been positive and supportive. "We're basically all friends," Mark said. "I don't think anybody is in it just for a job; it's a passion. There's an openness in how to solve the problems that come up. You feel free to call and compare notes." Mark said that the niche the 3.5-acre nursery has is that it is an outdoor nursery in a colder part of town near the Tanque Verde Wash. "A significant part of our inventory is outside," he said. "We get a lot of customers from the colder areas of Tucson and from New Mexico and West Texas. Our plants are acclimated to the sun and cold, which are two things in Tucson that are really significant." One of the plants Mark promotes is the organ pipecactus. "It is a significant landscape plant," he said, "yet few people use them. They are frost tender, but you can wrap them in burlap or use Styrofoam cups on the coldest nights." Mark Sitter

> Age: 44 > Career: Horticulturist. Co-owner with wife Margaret of B&B Cactus Farm Inc., a Santa Catalina Foothills nursery for cacti and succulents, and its parent company, Gecko Cactus. Spent 10 years on staff at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Early career was a flight attendant for Pan American Airways. > Education: Attended Oregon State University. Self-taught horticulturist. > Family: Wife, Margaret. > Foothills connection: Bought B&B Cactus Farm Inc., earlier this year.