Adam Woodruff + Associates is a garden design firm catering to a discerning clientele who value environments that are exceptional and engaging.

We strive to evoke a visceral response with contemporary designs that define space and artfully blend plants in new ways. Our imaginative planting schemes are stylized interpretations of nature where herbaceous plants comingle with woody plants to form a tapestry of year-round interest.

We work on a wide range of projects—from intimate residential gardens to large commercial properties. Our unique and enduring solutions are site specific and reflect our clients’ tastes and lifestyles.

BIOGRAPHY: Adam Woodruff has practiced garden design since 1995, but his love of plants took root long before that. He grew up in a farming community in central Illinois and, as a teenager, turned to gardening as a creative outlet. He pursued a degree in Botany at Eastern Illinois University and found himself trekking through North American prairies, bogs and forests as part of his studies.

The campus greenhouse became his second home, and it was there that he grew to appreciate tropical plants. Later travels to Europe, Asia and the Yucatan peninsula exposed him to a wide range of plants, styles and climates. Visits with Piet Oudolf, the Dutch garden designer who founded the New Wave Planting Movement, and with noted Wisconsin plantsman Roy Diblik gave him new ways of looking at planting design.

Adam’s projects are diverse—ranging from high impact seasonal displays of lush tropical foliage and colorful blooms to soft prairie-inspired plantings blending natives, ornamental grasses and perennials. Yet, his naturalistic aesthetic and skillful way of combining plants is shared by each project.

While plants may be Adam’s passion, his plant palette and design solutions arises from a clear understanding of his clients’ needs and preferences and the unique characteristics of their site. Designs are thoughtfully conceived and orchestrated with a mind toward longevity, sustainability and predictable maintenance, when practical.

Adam’s work has drawn media attention and netted awards. His bold transformation of a commercial streetscape in Springfield, Ill., won awards from the Perennial Plant Association and the Missouri Botanical Garden.

His designs have been featured in Horticulture magazine and St. Louis Magazine AT HOME; he has been published in Fine Gardening magazine, the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch and several trade journals; and he is a guest contributor to the Gardening Gone Wild and Designers on Design blogs.

He is a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers and the Perennial Plant Association.