Owner, Landscape Designer & Sculptor, Stoneshovel Designs

Landscape Designer with Wilcox Nursery & Landscape

15+ years of ecological landscape design and installation with native plants

Based in Pinellas County, Florida, “Arnie” works on garden projects which are more like sculptural interactions with the land, exploring landscape ecology and native plant communities all while recreating public and private spaces. Growing and propagating plants is a passion that infuses his landscapes with a personal touch.

Arnie is a fine sculptor who ended up in landscaping to make ends meet, but quickly found a special calling. From 2005-2014, he worked with the Southern Environmental Center (SEC) https://www.bsc.edu/sec/index.html at Birmingham-Southern College, creating ecoscape gardens. Arnie was responsible for design and implementation of these urban renewal gardens and worked closely with community leaders and SEC Director Ronald Hazelhoff through an interactive process.

In 2010 and 2012, Arnie helped establish native plant nurseries for two nonprofit nature centers in the Birmingham area, Turkey Creek Nature Preserve and Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve. He led many field trips to explore unique plant communities through the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, including Bibb County Glades, Almond Rock Outcrop and Moss Rock Preserve, among others.

Arnie has lectured on many gardening topics, including the use of native plants in residential and commercial landscapes, meadow making, bioswales, rain garden design and installation, creating eco-friendly garden structures through the use of natural materials, green roofs, up-cycling found materials in the garden, garden art, creating bird and pollinator-friendly gardens and the simple beauty of native plants and the landscapes they create.

M.F.A. in Scupture from the University of New Orleans.

B.F.A. in Sculpture from University of Connecticut.