Viewing the Butterfield Campus as a Canvas for Botanical Art
Butterfield’s Grounds Manager, Adam Fuller, didn’t take the most direct path to horticulture. Initially drawn to
study graphic design at Arkansas Tech University, Adam came to recognize he could potentially combine his artistic talents with a lifelong love for the outdoors. This led him to change directions and pursue a degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Arkansas. He’s never looked back.
Adam’s passion for the outdoors was nurtured from a young age. Originally from Vicksburg, Miss., he moved to Russellville, Ark., as a young boy. His family enjoyed spending much of their time outdoors – gardening, hiking, and exploring the woods. “My folks’ whole yard is pretty much a garden,” Adam recalls of his childhood home. “It’s a joy to go there and walk around with my dad or mom, talking about all the new things they’ve done.” The green-thumbed upbringing has stayed with him, and his retired parents still cultivate a large, vibrant flower garden. Adam’s mother has begun to gift him many of her indoor plants, filling his home with beautiful greenery. The two enjoy occasionally propagating favorite plants to give each other.
His initial employment journey in horticulture began after graduation when, during a job-scarce recession, Adam mowed lawns to make ends meet. He decided to move to Memphis, accepting his first professional role and gaining the chance to hone his skills in high-end residential landscaping as a designer and project manager. While there, he learned a lot about working with different materials and integrating both the form and function of landscaping.
As much as Adam enjoyed his job in Memphis, he and his then-wife were ready to start a family and decided Fayetteville would be better suited for raising kids. He took a position as a project manager for US Lawns. Also possessing an entrepreneurial spirit, Adam established his own CrossFit gym in 2017 and, two years later, started a company to partner with a Bella Vista developer to provide all of the landscaping and irrigation work for a 48-home neighborhood. The pandemic, however, was not kind – and he eventually had to step away from his businesses to become a maintenance operations manager for All Around Landscaping. The company changed ownership, and Adam decided to part ways for a new opportunity – and joined the Butterfield staff in November of 2024.
Excited about the potential of Butterfield’s grounds, Adam envisions transforming some areas into spaces with more of a botanical garden feel. He plans to enhance landscaping around major campus buildings by bringing plants closer to the walkways and away from structure foundations, allowing plantings to be more visible from inside and outside vantage points. He has ideas for how the campus main entrance on Joyce Boulevard could be enhanced once some major road work is completed by the City of Fayetteville – but in the meantime, he will work with his crew to incorporate new perennials to supplement regular seasonal installments of colorful annuals. Adam is also taking a thoughtful approach to lawn care, conducting soil testing around Butterfield’s many mature trees and considering solutions like clover lawns that may offer a more sustainable, visually appealing landscape with less need for chemicals.
Beyond his professional expertise, Adam is cultivating an interest in native plants and herbal medicine. He enjoys growing a variety of herbs to make tinctures with medicinal properties. And, Adam’s green thumb now extends to his two young sons, ages 6 and 8, both willing helpers in their home garden. Just as his own parents instilled in him a love for gardening and natural surroundings, Adam is happily passing along his knowledge and appreciation to the next generation.
