About the Designer

At a tender age, moonflower vine seeds were given to Julie when her mother took her to a local garden center.  The nurseryman explained in detail how to grow them and that the flowers would be large, white, and delicately scented 5” blossoms unfurling in the evening and closing up by morning. The thought seemed so captivating to young Julie.

Much of her adolescence was spent in the garden with her parents, and each spring she attended a garden tour festival. They made many additions to their garden over the years such as roses, hydrangeas, and rain lilies. Neighbors and family friends also made contributions by sharing bulbs and dividing perennials. Her passion for flowers and plants continued to blossom.

Julie couldn’t think of doing anything as a career that didn’t involve flowers. She proposed becoming a florist.  However, after interning at a local florist, she realized she enjoyed the outdoors too much.  When it came time to go off to school and pick a major her father suggested the idea of landscape design.  During this time, an internship opportunity presented itself at a historical 4th generation plant nursery.  She would return and work summers there at Tinga Nursery for a number of years on breaks from college.

At NC State University she received a B.S. in Horticulture Science with a concentration in landscape design. A great opportunity awaited her thereafter as she embarked on her first position in landscape design at a local nursery in Durham called For Garden’s Sake. She worked as a landscape sales supervisor for four years, where she practiced landscape design and supervised during the installation process. Recently, Julie became a NC Registered Landscape Contractor.  She now lives with her husband and son residing in Wilmington, NC.