Today, we’re headed back to Old Greensborough for a look at one of the plants currently in bloom around the parking lot. If  the “Seek” app (which is part of iNaturalist)  is correct, this is an artichoke thistle. Wikipedia  indicates the plant is very hardy, can survive drought conditions and , with a little bit of work, parts are edible.* If you saw Monday’s post of the Old Greensborough building, you will see that the plantings surrounding the parking lot are beautiful. This photo was taken on the north side of the parking lot.

The Old Greensborough building at the corner of Elm Street and 620 W. Gate City Boulevard has three floors of businesses. To enter the building, it is necessary to have an ID. So, we asked three different groups of people leaving the building about the maintenance of this little, urban wildlife habitat in the heart of the city and every single group had a similar response. This is not a direct quote, but an aggregated response. “I don’t know her name, but it is one woman. We used to see her out there with a wheelbarrow working a lot. But, the plants are pretty well established and they come back every year; so, we don’t see her as often.” We are determined, by the end of the summer, to see “the one lady”, to at least find out her name and whether she is part of  and formal garden organization like Master Gardeners or Greensboro Beautiful. We’d love to interview her and give her the recognition she deserves..  

*Learn more about the artichoke thistle HERE.

Happy Wednesday!