Artichokes: An Excellent Addition to an Edible Garden
Artichokes are cool season perennials that are grown for their immature flower buds. Though it can be difficult to believe, artichokes are related to lettuce, endive, and sunflower and belong to the massive Aster family.
It would be difficult to find a better addition to an edible garden. Artichoke plants are attractive enough to be grown solely for their serrated grey-green leaves which provide a strong textural and color contrast with other green foliage in the garden. The artichoke buds are the edible portion of the plant we find at the grocery store. If left un-harvested, these artichoke buds produce striking violet flowers. Leave these striking flowers as a colorful garden accent, or use them as cut flowers in a bouquet. Try letting a few of the smaller artichokes go to flower; bees are attracted to the vibrant, violet flowers which function as a landing pad and bed. If you get up early enough, you may find bees happily asleep in your artichoke plants.
artichoke in flower
Once established, plants can be drought tolerant, especially if grown only for ornamental purposes; plants grown for edible buds typically require more water.
If you have trouble with rats, rabbits, or squirrels eating your other fruits and vegetables, artichokes may provide a reprieve; the spiny leaf bracts typically discourage animals from eating the artichoke plants, especially those that are larger and more established.
Artichokes plants produce large amounts of biomass that can be incorporated into the soil. Use artichoke leaves and residue from the uneaten portion of the bud to mulch your artichoke plants.
As the picture below demonstrates, artichoke plants can grow to be quite large. Due to their size, artichoke plants may not be the best choice for gardeners with limited space.
large artichoke plant
To view customized gardening information for your area, go to GardenZeus and enter your zip code.
Other articles of interest: