Meet Polly Sue and Keith Webb | Veteran and owners

We had the good fortune of connecting with Polly Sue and Keith Webb and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Polly Sue and Keith, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
We specialize in waterscapes. Most landscapers do land-scaping which can be turf, gravel, pavers, grass, and plants. Many landscapers also claim to do water features; however, they don’t specialize with them. Since we specialize in water features and do not fuss with the landscaping, we are better suited to making sure that the sounds of the water and the placement of the feature coincides well with the environment it is being placed in. Our water features are custom designed and built to look natural and be long lasting. We build eco-system ponds and water features that benefit the environment and wildlife.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

“Waterscaping” is very much like landscaping except instead of using the dirt, grass, and plants as a medium, we use water, rocks, boulders, and various fountains to create a musical journey of flowing water sounds. It is a proven fact that the sound of flowing water can help to relieve stress and improve one’s mental health. We can sit for a few minutes by any of our features and literally feel the stress melt away. I personally enjoy sitting out by the pond in the early morning as the sun rises, drinking my cup of coffee while my husband enjoys his cup of tea or hot cocoa. It is the BEST WAY to start our day.

We firmly believe we are set apart from other landscapers because we have the certification, experience, and skill set to create unique and beautiful works of art out of water, rock, and boulders. Landscapers are still needed because they have an expertise that can so beautifully compliment our art. There is nothing more beautiful than a lush water garden that has beautiful green and colorful plants to soften the cold hardness of the rocks and boulders. When those edges are softened with plants and edging of all kinds, it takes an already unique and beautiful design to another level.

We are most proud of the work we have done for others as well as the work we have donated, or will be donating, to places like the Warrior Healing Center and the Discovery Gardens center at the Sierra Vista University of Arizona campus. As a disabled veteran myself, it is extremely important to us both to be able to provide a service the helps to reduce veteran suicides and improve the mental well-being of people everywhere. Many of these organizations don’t have the funding to provide everything our community needs, let alone these lifestyle changing features. If we can help even a single veteran or even a civilian that is struggling with stress or some other mental health issue, then we have accomplished something. We believe in giving back to our community.

My husband, Keith, is an “Island boy” as he was born and raised in Hawaii, so naturally, water has been a huge part of his youth. He has also always been an artist who has always been supportive of me and my military career, even after I left the U.S. Army. I have seen him complete gorgeous works of art using many mediums; glass etching, air brush art, wood burning, and pencil drawings, to name a few, which are fantastic but waterscaping has allowed his creativity to bring living art into our lives. Keith has worked in supply and logistics for almost 30 years and now waterscaping allows him to see his art come to life. Aquascape has allowed him to follow his true calling and desired way of life. I have always wanted to be able to be his support and help him to pursue his dreams, especially since he has always supported mine. I have an AAS, BA, and a Masters degree that I could not have gotten without his love and support. It is HIS time to shine! We have had some challenges, but those challenges are also what make us so strong and determined to succeed. You know the old adage of “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”? Well, that is us for sure.

The biggest lesson for us has been to keep God first and one another second. We place nobody and no project ahead of either of those. We discovered the hard way, that when you allow friends or other people’s influence ahead of God and one another, there will be conflict and strife. Once we forged Sunset Water Gardens, LLC as a female, veteran-owned business and got our ROC license, we have been non-stop and moving forward with one goal in mind; bring peaceful serenity of flowing water to as many people as we can. Our goal is to represent Aquascape well by connecting as many people to water the way nature intended. Ponds done right and customers served right. We believe in Aquascape’s philosophy of water features done right, and customers served right.

We want people to know that our ponds and water features provide a safe environment for wildlife, such as birds, hummingbirds, lizards, turtle, fish, butterflies, bees, and dragonflies, to name a few. If you are nature lover, then our water gardens are ideal for you. Our water features recycle the water via underground basins designed for a specific purpose; long-lasting with a natural look and feel.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Here in Sierra Vista, our favorite spot is our own yard. We don’t just sell custom built water features, we also live the Aquascape lifestyle. We also enjoy taking family to Tombstone and Bisbee. If it were a week long trip, we would probably get all the travel related things out of the way right away; we’d take them to Tombstone and see a shoot out and have a nice lunch at Big Nose Kate’s, go to Bisbee and see the town and do some shopping at the many stores, have dinner at Cafe Roka, and we would explore the great outdoors on one of the many trails in the Coronado Reserve or Huachuca Mountains. I would love to visit the hummingbird reserve out in Ramsey Canyon too. One of our newest and most favorite eateries in Sierra Vista is Pitstop Burgers; the burgers and steaks are fantastic and the place has character with great service.  In the evening, we would enjoy our backyard oasis and the sunset with our guests. Cochise County sunsets and mountain views cannot be beat.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

We are God-fearing Christians and therefore have to give it up to Him first; we would not be where we are without His guidance and will in our lives. Aquascape Inc deserves a shout out from us as well as Mark Schmitt from the the Small Business Development Center. Aquascape gave us the tools and education to pursue a dream of living art; custom art that uses rocks, boulder, and water to speak to us, as well as to the customer or client. As a veteran-owned company, we understand the impact stress has on people’s lives; the Aquascape lifestyle provides an escape from that. The placement of each rock and boulder changes the sound of the water.

Mark Schmitt continues to provide us the resources and support to make our dream a reality. Mark helped us to make sure our business was set up correctly, had all the resources we needed, and even helped us with the small details that are helping us to be a successful business here in Sierra Vista, like website creation and logo design. These are important details to help spread our brand. We know there are many “landscapers” here in the area that do great work, but we are the only ones who focus strictly on water features. So, the combination of the Small business Development Center and Aquascape Inc help us to stand out as water feature contractors. We thank the Lord for his mercy and grace and we also wish to say “Thank you” to Aquascape Inc and the Small Business Development Center!

Website: www.sunsetwatergardens.com

Instagram: @sunsetwatergardens

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunsetwg/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sunset-water-gardens-sierra-vista

Youtube: @sunsetwatergardens9433

Other: Nextdoor – https://nextdoor.com/pages/sunset-water-gardens-sierra-vista-az/?recommend=1

Image Credits
Sunset Water Gardens and Bianca Myers Photography