After attending the Philadelphia College of Art after high school, Sue decided to combine her life-long love of gardening with her interest in design: graduating with a degree in Horticulture and Landscape Design from Alfred State College in 1979.
Upon graduation, Sue worked for a number of Rochester landscaping firms and was exposed to many styles and philosophies, which she has continued to incorporate in her installations. From 1984 to 1988, Sue was employed by a firm in the New York City area, working primarily with clients in renovating the landscaping of their country estates. This allowed her to work on large projects from the ground up.
Sue has always been interested in the production end of the horticulture business. In 1990 Sue purchased Reeves Road Greenhouses, a commercial growing operation. As the owner/ manager Sue oversaw the production of 30,000 flats of annuals and several thousand potted perennials and chrysanthemums: selling to Rochester area garden centers and some of the larger home improvement stores.
In 1996, after the greenhouse business was sold, Sue started working at Wayside Garden Center and has just finished her 16th year. Wayside is one of the area’s largest landscaping firms. It has the equipment and skilled workers to tackle any size project and the designers are supported by “the customer is always right” service attitude. In this atmosphere, Sue is able to be very creative and enjoys making each installation unique and tailored to the client’s tastes and situation.
Sue is married and has two daughters in college. Her hobbies include painting, quilting and gardening. She is also very involved with G.R.A.S.P., a local animal rescue group, and has fostered many homeless dogs and cats and found them loving homes.