Julie and Butterscotch

Julie Olson, Principal Designer for Serendipity Garden Design LLC, has been in the design business most of her life, starting her own freelance business in graphic design and art when she was 13. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Communications in 1987 from Arizona State University, and worked as a graphic designer for Mosser Design, Inc. in Washington, DC. In addition to her ongoing freelance work, she worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Visual Communications Center, as an Art Director and Project Manager. Julie also taught design and computer graphics classes at the USDA Graduate School. Julie left USDA on July 30, 2004 to open Serendipity Garden Design, with a lifelong dream to own her own business and a passion for landscape design and gardening.

Julie attended the prestigious Landscape Design Graduate Certificate Program at The George Washington University from 2000-2006, which provided her with an outstanding education in horticulture, plants, and design of outdoor spaces. She turned that knowledge, along with experience in landscaping her own problematic back yard, into a part-time business in 2002, designing and planting various Capitol Hill neighborhood gardens. Julie is currently attending The George Washington University to complete a Masters Degree in Landscape Design and Sustainable Landscaping.

Her speciality is in urban landscape design, creating beautiful and functional spaces that are waterwise, mostly native, non-invasive, and sustainable. She is an expert in woody plants, perennials, shade gardens, and container gardens, and is a teacher to her clients in how to care for their new gardens.

Julie was selected as a featured landscape designer on Home and Garden Televison's (HGTV) Curb Appeal program in 2005. The half-hour program features designers who will improve a local home’s front, including the landscaping. The featured site was a row home in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC. The nationwide program aired in August 2006.

A member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) since 2004, Julie currently serves as vice president of the local Chapter of the APLD. She is also an active member of her community, serving her 4th term as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, an elected position, for her Southeast Capitol Hill neighborhood.

In her spare time, Julie plays her oboe, mostly to annoy her dog.