City gardener Scott Miskiel was appointed to the job just a couple weeks after the tragic automobile accident death of his well-regarded predecessor, Terry Leiker, on April 28. Not only did Scott have big shoes to fill, but the timing was difficult coming in the midst of spring plantings and during one of the wettest springs on record – which dramatically increased the amount of weeding.
It helped that Scott had worked with Terry.
“I had been hired as groundskeeper out at Lake Leatherwood,” Miskiel said. “When I came in, it was still a little cold. Grass wasn’t growing yet, so I started helping Terry as he was gearing up for spring. When he passed away in April, after a couple of weeks they allowed me to take over that position. We just finally filled the groundskeeper position, so before that all of us had to step up to the plate to get that work done, as well as our other duties. We’re a team, and even Justin [Parks Director Huss] would hop on a mower and make sure we got it done.”
One of Scott’s biggest goals right now is clearing the overgrowth in all city gardens to make room for new plants. He worked to form a Springs and Garden Committee that toured each garden and bounced around ideas about what was not working and where there might be space to add native plants and pollinators.
“I’m really optimistic about the direction we’re heading,” Scott said. “In a collaborative way, we are developing a theme for each garden. The plan for each maximizes use of native species, especially plants that attract pollinators. I think it will result in less maintenance and less need for fertilizers or insecticides, which we don’t use much of anyway. By using native species, especially from stock that’s very close to our area, they should fit right in without a lot of human intervention.”
He wanted to stress that they aren’t trying to totally redesign the gardens, but participate in a group effort to emphasize native and pollinator growth.
“That’s the direction we hope to go without sacrificing esthetics,” Miskiel said. “Many of these native species are gorgeous. We envision something esthetically pleasing, yet good for the environment, and a learning experience. One of the things I like about this job more than anything is I see people’s faces and postures change as they approach the gardens. It is like their burdens of stress are lifted by coming into the garden.”
He said gardening has always been his interest.
“It has been a refuge since I was a young child. During the twenty years I operated a business in northern Arizona in a profession that was less than fulfilling, we had a couple irrigated acres with a big garden and orchard. Our kids raised just about every kind of animal you can imagine.”
Scott started studying permaculture, took some courses, and got very interested in native plants. Foraging for wild edible plants and mushrooms became a big hobby.
“I started developing more and more interest in native plants,” he said. “There are a lot of opportunities in this area to pursue that direction. We want the gardens to be educational, as well as functional. A lot of these native plants have multiple uses: edible, medicinal, and used by Native Americans for cordage or other beneficial things. I’d like the gardens to be where people can come and not just de-stress in a natural setting, but also learn a little bit.”
Scott and his wife, Cheryl, moved to the area six months ago. After selling their business in Arizona, they traveled the country in their camper before Scott received the job offer from Parks. They have long been fans of Eureka Springs.
“My wife and I honeymooned here thirty-eight years ago and have been here several times since,” he said. “We just knew this was where we wanted to settle down. We spent twenty years in Northern Arizona, a place I never felt like was home. After we raised the kids and sent them to college, we decided to it was time to follow our dream and move out here.”