Dr. Lee Goldberg and Dr. Santiago Ramirez are local cardiologists here in Tucson, AZ. The two doctors share a passion for the outdoors with a particular interest in the design and construction of water gardens. Approximately ten years ago, both doctors decided to construct koi ponds at their individual residences in Tucson. However, Goldberg and Ramirez soon discovered that building a pond in Tucson was a very difficult endeavor. Finding experienced contractors with knowledge of koi ponds, waterfalls, and filtration was nearly an impossible task. Furthermore, after building their koi ponds, the doctors found it very difficult to find a company that could appropriately maintain their ponds. 

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Goldberg and Ramirez therefore decided to team up and open their own koi pond business which would later be called Tucson Koi and Water Gardens.  Their store opened in 2012 and specialized in the construction and maintenance of koi ponds. The store was located on Dodge Blvd. in central Tucson and also sold koi fish and water plants. Over the next several years, Tucson Koi and Water Gardens operated predominantly as a store for koi pond enthusiasts. Eventually it became evident that the market for koi ponds and water gardens in Tucson was rather narrow. Goldberg and Ramirez therefore decided to expand their business by opening a retail cactus nursery. Tucson Cactus Company was founded as the sister company to Tucson Koi and Water Gardens.  In addition to operating a retail cactus nursery on Dodge Blvd., the doctors have been growing plants at two separate sites totaling six acres. In 2015, it became clear that the small retail space on Dodge Blvd. would not be adequate in the long term to accommodate a cactus nursery and pond store. The Dodge location was therefore closed in 2015.

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Drs. Goldberg and Ramirez purchased three acres of land at Oracle and Magee Road several years ago and decided to build a state of the art cactus nursery and pond store. The new store will be called Tucson Cactus and Koi and will feature a huge variety of cacti, succulents, trees, pottery, artwork by local artists, koi fish, and water plants.

 

Our goal is to create a beautiful outdoor destination that local Tucsonans enjoy visiting, even if they don’t plan on making a purchase. Please come and visit our new store!