Thistle Me This
I doubt many northern gardeners will recognize this thistle. Can you guess what it is?

A few hints before I spill the beans:
- It can be found in North Africa in it’s wild form.
- It’s a short lived perennial that develops the edible flowers during the second and following years.
- Cultivation is concentrated in the Mediterranean basin with Italy, Spain, and France being the main producers.
- California provides nearly 100% of the U.S. crop.
- A variety, ‘Imperial Star’ was developed for northern climates that will produce a limited harvest the first year.
- An even newer variety, ‘Northern Star’ is said to overwinter in northern areas and able to survive sub-zero temperatures.
- It can be grown from seeds, divisions, root cuttings or micropropagation.
- It’s the primary flavor of Cynar, a Italian liqueur.
- In the Da Lat region of Vietnam it is used to produce a commercial tea.
This should give it away:

Yep, it’s an Artichoke
I have no clue what variety this one is. My wife bought some from a greenhouse last year. They all produced last season and this one survived the extremely mild winter we were fortunate to have. It didn’t grow very well this year but it did produce that great bloom.







