Cardoon - Cynara Cardunculus (prickly artichoke / artichoke thistle)

I grew my Cardoon from seed I bought from Premier Seed Direct (they’re my favourite seed company, love the repackaging & qr codes with information & like buying by gram than no. of seeds, you get quite a few more unusual herbs available from them too), they’re easy to grow, that reliable, I gave some away to my mum & neighbour. They’re doing great, the neighbour’s even better than mine as it’s in the ground & next to a brick wall.

You often find Cardoons in stately home walled gardens as they were a favourite in Victorian times.

They’re good for pottager gardens as can be grown as a vegetable, the edible leaf stalks & heart (base of the flower bud) taste a bit like celery, once blanched to reduce bitterness. I think it is used as a traditional Christmas Eve dish in Italy, but they are used for soups & fried also.

The striking perennial can grow to 2.5m, the pinnatifid (pinnately divided, but not all the way down to the central axis) leaves can even reach 1m in length! The foliage is silver-grey. The purple flowers are thistle like, they smell of honey & it’s possibly because of this they are a magnet for bees.

They make stunning cut flowers and are used a lot in flower arranging, but if you are a follower you will know I leave my seed heads in the garden, finches being particularly appreciative of a Cardoon seedhead. The Cardoon is a close relative of the globe artichoke. It likes full sun & well drained soil.

Do you grow Cardoons? If so do you eat them, & how? I’d love to know…

@just.me.in.my.garden