INSPIRE
R O O F TO P S R E I M AG I N E D EMILIO ANCAYA EXPLORES HOW A GREEN ROOF IN NORTH CAROLINA PROMOTES BIODIVERSITY, COMBATS RISING TEMPERATURES, AND REDUCES STORMWATER RUNOFF
SPRINGTIME ON THE GREEN ROOF IN DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE
THE GREEN ROOF ON AN APARTMENT BUILDING IN ASHEVILLE
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estled 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 sq ft 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 supporting 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. Beginning in the spring and continuing through fall, the roof teems with different species of
26 Pro Landscaper USA South March/April 2021
LIATRIS, SOLIDAGO AND RUDBECKIA BLOOM IN LATE SPRING AND INTO SUMMER
south.prolandscaperusa.com
