Gardens at the Bank of Springfield: Bold, bright tropical plants are the key to building drama with a twist . . .

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In 2004, the Bank of Springfield doubled the size of their flagship facility at 3400 West Wabash Avenue in Springfield, Illinois. Adam Woodruff, Principal of Adam Woodruff + Associates was engaged to redesign the 3 acre site. The chief consideration of the design process was to boldly impact the streetscape while enhancing the architecture of the building. Woodruff designed naturalistic yet vibrant flower borders scaled to the site to accomplish his goal. The gardens cover 22,000 square feet and include a massive perennial and annual bed running the length of the Wabash Avenue façade. Several auxiliary flower beds dot the property echoing color and texture rhythms found in the main bed. Annuals, which represent 40% of the plant material found in the gardens, are woven between shrubs, roses, grasses and perennials to insure consistent bloom.

Woodruff and his team, designed, installed and maintained the gardens from 2004-2010.

11/02/2011

Bold, bright tropical plants are the key to building drama with a twist . . .

November/December 2011

This week, Horticulture Magazine published a story titled "Bold Colors For The Border" about my work at the Bank of Springfield (pages 60-65). The photos were take last summer by Al Parrish and the story was written by Meghan Shinn.

Here is an excerpt: In 2004, Bank of Springfield Chairman and CEO Tom Marantz decided the bank's flagship building needed some gardens in place of the existing turf and ash trees. Adam ultimately planted 22,000 square feet. By 2010, annuals and tropical plants made up 40 percent of the plantings. Adam credits the BOS project- and the encouragement of Tom Marantz- with helping him hone his design skills and style. With so many temporary plants, he could revise the design each season.

For more, pick up a copy at newsstands today, or better yet, subscribe online at www.hortmag.com.

"Bold Colors For The Border" (Photo Supplement)

I have compiled a slideshow of some of my favorite perennial-tropical combination from the Gardens at the Bank of Springfield for Horticulture Magazine readers .