This year, just for fun, I grew a Globe Artichoke. Just one.
Today it was time to cut it down and I saw it in its full beauty, looking like a true thistle complete with a stunning violet interior. Measuring about 10 inches across, it is truly eye-catching.
I planted it in 2021 but it didn’t do much. I hadn’t realised that, although perennial, they generally don’t get going until their second year. So this May I noticed that it was growing. In June the flower - basically a type of thistle - appeared. This is the part where the edible heart is found, along with the inedible, fibrous choke. I didn’t intend to eat this one; I just wanted to watch it grow.
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| Not what I expected in the garden |
I didn’t expect much. I wasn’t even confident that our cool and wet climate would be suitable for a plant more associated with Southern Europe and North Africa. When it began to look like the artichokes you see in supermarkets I was surprised. And then I forgot about it.
Today it was time to cut it down and I saw it in its full beauty, looking like a true thistle complete with a stunning violet interior. Measuring about 10 inches across, it is truly eye-catching.
I wonder what will happen next year.