Picking Arcosanti Olives : Photo : Jeffrey Kunzelman

The primary focus of the Landscaping Department is the upkeep and maintenance of the Arcosanti (15.5 acre) site while working with Paolo Soleri and the Planning Department to implement landscape designs and develop areas for flower beds and gardens around existing buildings and the newly constructed portions of Arcosanti.  Our aim is to design high quality low maintenance organic gardens using xeriscape, permaculture, and edible landscaping methods.

We maintain a small experimental greenhouse where we start seeds, grow frost tender plants in the winter and propagate tree seedlings.  We also maintain a garden in which we grow a few native cactus and other native plants for our own landscaping needs.  Here at Arcosanti we use organic landscaping and gardening practices, meaning we use no synthetic or chemical herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers on any of our gardens.  We try to build the health of our gardens from the ground up by making compost and adding natural soil amendments. 

As the buildings exhibit multifunctional uses, so do the gardens.  Many of the plants on site provide shade and moisture in the harsh summers and are edible.  We grow herbs for both culinary and medicinal uses, and flowers that are pleasing to the senses and attract beneficial birds and insects.  We try to make use of the microclimates created by the building structures themselves to grow plants that may not normally be able to survive here.

We want to show edible landscaping can be both
beautiful to look at as well as supplementing Arcosanti's
food and herb needs.  We harvest and dry herbs year round, and can Olives in the
fall for sale in our Bakery and Gallery, also during the
summer we participate in the nearby Prescott Farmers Market. 

Work in the Landscaping Department is varied depending on the season.  One can expect to learn about maintaining and improving the aesthetic of an ever-expanding 15-acre commercial site.  Every day is different, some days we focus on weeding, in which case one can learn about maintaining lawns, weeding, composting, and preparing beds and plants for planting, and of course the actual planting and watering of those plants.  Other days we focus on maintaining and extending the landscape.  On these days one should expect to do a lot of shoveling and heavy lifting as we build and repair rock walls and engage in other landscaping projects around the site.

We work outside most (if not all) of the time in a high desert grassland environment so it is important to have a personal water bottle, a sun hat and long sleeve cotton shirt as sun protection.  In the summer when the temperatures are extreme (100+), we start our day very early to try to beat the heat.  In the winter when the ground may be frozen in the morning, we start later in the day.

Working in landscaping is a rewarding experience.  It is helpful for those studying Architecture and Landscape Architecture to understand how plants grow and grounds are maintained so they can better design landscape integrated with the built environment.