The Jean Arp gardens, originally created in the 1960s, were completely re-designed in 2002 (by the landscape architect F. Kamber-Maggini) after the completion of the new port. Two rows of holly oak (quercus ilex) line the sides of the gardens, leaving a large green central area displaying nine works donated to the town by Jean Arp.

Islands of green skirt the lake side of the gardens, with bush and floral displays that create perspective views towards Bosco Isolino. Sources: R. Huber, 1993, The public gardens of Locarno illustrated through archival papers, an extract from the Bulletin of the Swiss Society for the History of Art, n. 1/44. F. Giacomazzi, H. Rebsamen, D. Ganahl, Casa Rusca in Locarno, a permanent collection of the works of Jean Arp, donated by Jean and Marguerite Arp, including paintings and sculptures by Jean Arp and his friends and contemporaries.