By Emilio Ancaya, GRP (Green Roof Professional) and cofounder of Living Roofs Inc.

Asheville, NC. (September 30, 2020) – Nestled on Lexington Avenue in the heart of downtown Asheville is an apartment building that offers a unique and distinguishable feature. Situated on top of the building is a beautiful 8,200-square-foot green roof that can be seen and enjoyed by surrounding buildings, guests at a neighboring hotel pool deck, and people walking the city’s hilly streets.

The roof is a meadow and supports a diverse plant community focused on pollinator habitat and food sources. It seems only appropriate since Asheville was the first city in the United States to be certified as a Bee City USA.

Native plant species with high pollinator value, such as Asclepias tuberosa, Eryngium yuccifolium, Pycnanthemum muticum, and Rudbeckia fulgida, were selected to promote biodiversity and a thriving urban habitat for pollinators such as bees, moths, butterflies and birds.

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