University Hospital Project - Commercial Landscape

When I was asked to undertake this design, the beds at the front entrance of University Hospital were quite pedestrian, consisting of an edging of ivy which needed constant maintenance to keep it as an edging and small groups of red tulips in spring followed by red fibrous begonias for summer and fall. (See top photo, which shows the configuration of beds and the street approach.)

I was asked to design these beds so that they would be interesting, beautiful and soothing to the patients and their loved ones for as long a time as possible, taking into consideration the fact that most Cleveland landscapes are fairly stark from the middle of November until the middle of April. The beds would be viewed, not only from several different angles at ground level, but also from the several floors above. I also wanted these beds to encourage visits by hospital employees, many of whom sat on the fountain walls for lunch or breaks.

I chose what I felt was a therapeutic color scheme: pinks, purples, blues, white, and soft yellows, keeping in mind that the blues recede and are thus difficult to see from heights. Most of the pinks used are strong and the blues are metallic.

The plant material chosen combines perennials, shrub roses, ornamental grasses, bulbs and annuals. (The center photo contains Rosa rugosa 'Pierette Pavement', Festuca, Coreopsis v. 'Moonbeam', Sedum 'Autumn Joy', Vinca white, seedheads of Allium aflatunense 'Purple Sensation.')

I was assured that a very competent company would be doing the maintenance of these beds but I nevertheless attempted to choose plants that would require only low to average maintenance. Festuca need virtually none and the other ornamental grasses need only be cut to the ground once a year while the shrub roses need only an annual cutting out of dead canes.

Of the eight perennials used, Coreopsis needs shearing once or twice a year; Sedum needs to be cut down to its rosettes in early spring; Gaura and Anemone japonica need to be cut to the ground after a hard frost; the Geranium needs no care; and the others require only periodic deadheading.

Of the 5,050 bulbs planted, only 1,400 tulips need to be replanted each year. They are designed to be installed in large swaths so that they can easily be pulled and replaced with the appropriate annuals each spring and then replanted each fall. These sections are in the front of each bed. (See the bottom photo, which shows Bed 4 with Tulipa 'High Noon' and Bed 5, which contains Tulipa 'Arabian Mystery' and Allium aflatunense 'Purple Sensation.')

The rest of the bulbs are interplanted with the perennials and grasses to lengthen the period of bloom and to give color where neither the perennials nor grasses have yet foliated. In addition to Crocus, Narcissus and early tulips, I also used Anemone blanda, alliums and a species tulip which is a strong magenta purple.

Design attention was particularly paid to the winter months. Festuca keeps its blue color all year. Panicum foliage turns yellow in the fall and then beige, remaining as a presence in the gardens throughout the winter, Miscanthus inflorescences remain viable most of the winter and are accentuated by their beige foliage. The red rose hips show well, first against the foliage which turns yellow in the fall and then against the stone of the fountains behind. The Geranium is fairly evergreen with its foliage taking on a red tinge in the fall. The Sedum heads, of course, serve as snow catchers and sculptures.

An in-ground irrigation system was already in place. It was necessary in bed 5 to leave access for maintenance of the irrigation control panel which is covered by a steel plate. Fountain runoff had supposedly been accounted for by the installation of grates in front of each fountain but after installation, it became apparent that there was still some overflow into the beds and it was necessary to make adjustments in some of the plant material.

This project was authorized at the beginning of April 11, 1995, with the understanding that implementation would begin in late May/early June of the same year with bulbs being added in the fall.

This commercial landscape design won awards from the Perennial Plant Association in 1997 and from the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association in 1998.

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