David Dunn, owner of the award-winning Rideau Woodland Ramble and an architect, opened the evening by stating that architects, artists, designers and gardeners are all about place-making, whether in the mind or in reality. They seek to provoke reactions and feelings and experience. In that way, he said, Susan D’Aquino is a kindred spirit.

Susan D’Aquino balanced a busy career in public service with the “creative” pursuits of architecture and gardening. An avid gardener of more than 40 years, she talked about her award-winning garden, and the modernist house designed by Hart Massey, which has been called a jewel of Canadian architecture. She shared a stunning slide show of her garden through the seasons and described the evolution of the garden from when she and her husband Tom first bought their house. The audience was enthralled and inspired.