Hospital hopes plants will energize patients

Part of the expansion project at the Wood County Hospital is going green – as well as various shades of
red, yellow and orange with some blue fescue thrown in for good measure.
A live "green roof" is being installed this week by Wolfe’s Roofing Inc., in Walbridge.
"Our main purpose for installing the green roof is to create an environment that aids in the healing
of our patients while they are at Wood County Hospital," said Catharine Harned, director of
marketing and business development for the hospital.
Few people, if any, like to look out at a barren roof, especially when you’re a patient in a hospital.

Many of the patient rooms in the new hospital addition will look out over the green roof. In addition the
green space will be visible from the enclosed walkway between the old and new sections of the hospital
as well as from some patient rooms in the existing facility.
The cost for the rooftop garden, which covers 15,000 square feet, was $330,000.
However, the "green" aspects of the green roof will also have financial benefits above the
aesthetics for the patients.
All parties involved agree this type of roof will provide numerous other benefits.
The pavers and plants being installed serve as the ballast for the roof. Nearly 300 tons of material is
being placed on the roof including 180 tons of plants in trays also called modules and 78 tons of
pavers. Landscaping stones and other material encompass the remainder of the weight.
With the plants being able to use much of the rain which will fall, there will be less storm water
runoff.
The volume of plants will also serve as an additional layer of insulation to help keep the hospital
cooler during hot summer days, and to a lesser extent, warmer in the winter.
And the live green roof adds another layer of protection which is expected to prolong its life an
additional 20 years beyond a standard roof.
Dave Wolfe, owner of Wolfe’s Roofing, said this is by far the largest operation of its kind his company
has tackled.
"This is definitely the largest green roof in Northwest Ohio," Wolfe said. "We’ve never
done anything on this scale, this is a pretty big project."
The choice of plants, primarily three color palettes of seedums, along with some sections of blue fescue,
are all low maintenance and are designed to handle both the heat of summer and withstand this area’s
winters.
The three seedum mixes are called carefree mix, modern mix and evergreen mix. Each mix has a different
base color.

The plants have been growing since April at Corso’s Perennials in Sandusky.
"The seedum is a very durable plant and will take both the cold and hot temperatures we get here in
Ohio," said Gus Corso, the nursery’s owner. "That makes it ideal for a rooftop garden."

Dan Cartell, with the sales and marketing department at Corso’s, said, "These are some of the nicest
plants I’ve seen. The mixture and the fullness of them is ideal."
This week crews have been working on the west side of the pedestrian walkway on the roof. Some additional
work needs to be done on the east side of the walkway before the remainder of the garden can be
completed.
When fully installed, there will be more than 6,000 trays of plants installed. Each tray weighs
approximately 60 pounds. Surrounding the plants and in selected decorative walkways are stone pavers
each weighing 100 pounds. To get all the plants to the hospital required 10 semi-truckloads. Another
three trucks brought the pavers which were delivered with 26 pallets per truck, each pallet weighing a
ton.
Cartell indicated even after the plants go dormant for the winter, "they will still stay green and
still look good" and thus provide an attractive view for the patients.
"It’s ideal for any commercial building, but it’s especially good for hospital" because of the
view, he added.
Hospital and nursery officials created the design and the plants were all grown specifically for this
project. Wolfe’s was provided with a blueprint of the garden layout. The trays of plants delivered are
all color coded as to where they will be placed in the design.
Wolfe indicated his crew is getting quicker at installing the garden as the week progresses. After
installing each of the trays or modules of plants, they must remove the white edge dividers on the
trays. This will allow all the plants to grow together. Each module interlocks with its neighbors.
Corso’s officials said the live garden roof idea is literally "growing" in popularity.
"People are going to be seeing a lot more of this," Wolfe added.
Harned is extremely excited about the project and what it will mean for the patients at Wood County
Hospital.
"The hospital is seeing a green roof which will be far more healing than a plain black roof,"
Corso summarized.
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On the Net:
www.LiveRoof.com
Preparing a garden roof
Growing plants for a garden roof such as being installed this week at Wood County Hospital bears little
resemblance to a routine garden plant.
More than 6,000 trays called modules of plants will comprise the new live garden.
Each empty module is filled with a soilless media. The growing material consists of clay and gravelly
sand, according to Gus Corso, president of Corso’s Perennials in Sandusky.
Not using standard soil will help prolong the life of the garden roof.
"There is no organic matter that is going to rot down," Corso explained.
The seedums used in the live garden are grown from cuttings rather than seeds.
The cuttings which were shipped from the state of Washington, were broadcast across the modules with at
least 50 cuttings per module. The seedums take root in the planting material within two to three days
after being sprinkled on top. Approximately one half pound of cuttings are used in each module.
"The first two weeks are most critical so the cuttings will start rooting," Corso stated.
"Within a month they are well-rooted."
To begin the modules are thoroughly watered for the first four to six weeks to provide enough moisture
for the rooting process. From that point forward they are watered as needed.
According to Dan Cartell of Corso’s, they have a field specifically dedicated to the live roof beds.
By August they were ready for installation; however, the roof at the hospital was not ready for the
plants.
The modules, 16 per rack or cart, were then loaded on to 10 semi trailers, and brought to the hospital.
Each rack was color-coded as to its contents to match the blueprint of the design which was created by
hospital officials including Catharine Harned, director of marketing and business development for the
hospital and Eric Timm, owner of Bostdorff Greenhouse in Bowling Green, who served as a consultant on
the project.
In addition staff from Bostdorff will assist in the maintenance of the garden.
The rolling tracks were lifted onto the roof as needed by a large forklift.
The garden, once fully installed, will require little maintenance.
Corso says they will use a slow-release granular fertilizer each spring. The plant selection are
drought-tolerant and only in extreme circumstances do they expect to have to water the garden.
Much like a lawn, the garden may be walked across with little or no problems. Naturally, the garden is
not made for regular foot traffic.
The plan is to trim the garden once a year. That will be done in a very similar way as mowing one’s
yards. The cuttings from the trim will fall back into the garden and seed itself to further enhance the
fullness of the garden. By cutting, as most gardeners realize, it stimulates the branching and further
growth of the plants.
Though Corso’s have been active in the live roof gardens for three years, Corso says, "This is the
biggest job we’ve done and by far the most interesting."
He noted the use and mixture of several color palettes in the design.
"It takes a little time and planning, but it is certainly worth it," Corso explained.
Workmen load up a few carts of plants that are going on the roof of the Wood County Hospital. (Photos:
Aaron Carpenter/Sentinel-Tribune)
Roof garden by the numbers
Body: 330,000 – cost in dollars for the green roof
15,000 – square-feet of plants
6,000 – trays of plants installed
180 – tons of plants delivered
100 – pounds each paver weighs
78 – tons of pavers to be installed on roof
60 – pounds per tray of plants
50 – number of cuttings in each tray of plants
13 – semi trailer loads of material
4
– plant mixtures in the garden
1 – beautiful green space atop a roof