We will be growing artichokes for the first time this year. Not for the food, but for the looks of the plant.

Nancy and I were at Portland Farmers Market last Saturday (May 12) when we noticed the seedlings at the Snell Farm stand and bought two on impulse. The woman who waited on us said we would get one or maybe two artichokes per plant. I'll eat them if we get them, but we will be growing them for their looks.
We will put them in containers on our patio and the large, architectural leaves, similar to the warm-weather acanthus plant, should be striking.
Then Wednesday we got People Places & Plants in the mail, and one of the writers suggested people plant cardoon as an alternative to artichoke. Just goes to show you can't stay on top of anyone.
Both artichoke and cardoon are related to thistles, both have the big leaves, but with artichoke, you eat what is actually a flower bud and in cardoon, part of the leaf.
Nancy said we bought cardoon from an herb farm outside Everett, Wash., when we were visiting her sister, and it did not do well in our garden. So maybe we aren't behind the PPP people after all.

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