How to grow it
This is one of the most ornamental perennial edibles in the garden.
It is a relative of the thistle, and an improved cultivar of the cardoon (of which you can eat the stems).
Both plants have striking grey/green large leaves and no prickles. The artichoke's edible part is the flower bud, which should be cut off before flowering. The flowers are bumble bee magnets. Globe artichokes will be happy in most soils, but dislike wet feet or frost. Cut the flower stems to ground level (or pull out) once they dry out in autumn. The plant is relatively dormant in winter, budding again in spring and early summer.
In the Kitchen
