Christopher Woods began his gardening life at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. He was director and chief designer of Chanticleer, transforming it into one of America's most exuberant, romantic, and flamboyant gardens.

He has served as vice president for horticulture at the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden; director of the Van Dusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, Canada; executive director of the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden; and director of both the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and Meadowbrook Farm. He lives in California.