The Perry Wellness Center campus was designed to provide green and peaceful oases in the midst of buildings and bustle. Carefully planned gardens, walking paths, pergolas, streams and fountains dot the campus. Many market visitors enjoy a stroll around the grounds, where they can check out lush vegetation, water features, and garden structures.

In the Hope Park garden and fountain area behind Rudy’s Happy Patch Market, an “Agave Americana” cactus causes passersby to take a second look. Also known as a century plant, the cactus actually lives from 10 to 30 years. Its gray-green leaves grow 3-5 feet long, with prickly margins and a heavy spike at each tip.

When the cactus blooms, it sends up a tall, branched stalk that is laden with yellow blossoms, stretching up to 25-30 feet tall. Each plant flowers only once, near the end of its life. However, the flowering produces shoots at the base of the plant, which create new life. The symbolism of the cactus’ flowering, death, and “rebirth” has intrigued plant lovers through the ages.

We invite any visitors to the Perry Wellness Center campus to check out the magnificent century plant.