César Mazier is president of César Mazier Landscaping & Consulting, Inc., a company he founded in 2002 after serving 16 years as director of horticulture for the Desert Botanical Garden.

The landscaping and consulting company is dedicated to preserving the subtle beauty of the Sonoran Desert, introducing the importance of desert landscaping into hardscapes, and providing exceptional customer service through design, landscaping installation, and consultation of native desert landscapes.

 

To date, projects in which César Mazier Landscaping & Consulting, Inc. has embarked include residential and commercial landscape consultations, landscape and hardscape designs, as well as landscape and hardscape installation and renovation projects in the Phoenix, Tucson and northern Arizona areas.

Mazier has successfully transplanted hundreds of saguaro plants, and his largest was a triple-trunk 38 foot, 42 ton saguaro for the Town of Oro Valley, Ariz. which was in the way of a road expansion. Additionally, he was selected by the government of Hidalgo, Mexico to identify plant specimens, and make recommendations on plant selections and placements for the creation of a government-funded ecological park and botanical garden.

While serving as director of horticulture for the Desert Botanical Garden, Mazier was responsible for the Garden’s 20,000 accessioned and 20,000 non-accessioned desert plant collections from all over the world. He oversaw the maintenance, propagation and landscaping of the Garden’s 145-acres of beautiful desert habitat, as well as the organization’s biannual plant sale festivals. Additionally, Mazier was responsible for executing bed restorations and development of plant palettes and landscape installations for several Garden trails

Mazier was the founder and director of the Garden’s English- and Spanish-language Desert Landscaper Certification Program. He further served as an important component in the Garden’s fund-raising and development efforts, assisting in the cultivation and solicitation of major gifts resulting in more than $2.2 million. He also served as the primary English- and Spanish-speaking media spokesperson.

Mazier received an engineering degree in agronomy from the National Autonomous University of Honduras in 1980 and a master of science degree in agricultural economics from New Mexico State University in 1984. In 19987, he successfully graduated from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev “International Workshop on Optimum Yields in Arid Zones, sponsored by the government of Israel.

As a research technician and then regional coordinator of agricultural research for the government of Honduras, Mazier accumulated valuable years of experience in the techniques of growing drought-tolerant crops.

Internationally recognized for his expertise in desert horticulture, Mazier has interacted on a technical, scientific, environmental, research and horticultural nature with botanical gardens and national parks throughout the world. .

He continues his involvement in research to investigate saguaro fertilization and transplantation; botanical root rot infections; weed control in wildflower beds; water requirements for optimal plant health; and the effects of gray water application on desert plants, following an extensive report he created for the city of Phoenix water department.

A talented public speaker, Mazier is a frequent presenter for nonprofit groups, schools, and educational clubs. He is the former host of Univisions gardening show, El jardin de mis amores, The Garden I Love. He has appeared on several television programs produced by PBS, as well as numerous shows on HGTV.

Mazier has also written several articles for American Nurseryman magazine, and serves as a frequent contributor to local Phoenix-area newspapers.

Mazier was awarded the prestigious Master of the Southwest award from Phoenix Home & Garden magazine for his outstanding contributions to the horticultural field. He was also recognized by The Arizona Republic and named Dr. Saguaro for his knowledge of saguaro plants.