This one’s a grower. Pinehurst is about to see an Agave Americana, aka century plant, bloom for the first and only time at Rassie Wicker Park. Known as a “death bloom,” the agave expels the last of its life’s energy into creating a stalk topped with hundreds of flowers. We thought it was just happy to see us.
Despite its name, the plant usually lives around 30-40 years. Our humid climate might have helped it age a bit faster. There’s a sign to keep up your skincare routine. Jonathan Priddy, a park maintenance staff member, says it looks to him like it’s growing a few inches a day. He expects it to bloom within the next two weeks but there’s no way to tell an exact time.
Amy McKenzie was on the village’s appearance commission, now known as the beautification committee, when it was planted in 2015. “I walk by it often and was shocked to see how big it got,” she says.
“You just don’t see a lot of plants like this around here,” says Jonathan. “I’m happy to see the diversity of something like this.” Amy adds that she’d love for the beautification committee to plant some more in the future. For updates and more sassy comments, follow Pinehurst on Facebook or Instagram.
