Artichoke

Heavily laden in grey foliage, my artichoke plants were leaning precariously and windy storms did not help. To solve this problem I removed some of the damaged and obstructive leaves. This also aids in transferring the energy to producing larger flower buds. A couple of weeks later, I was harvesting, cooking and eating the chokes.

Spring flowers

Pictures of Spring flowers and the rest of the garden.

Globe artichokes

Finally, a sunny day. The artichokes have gone through a growth spurt. The apricot tree has started to bloom, but very few flowers. The nasturtiums have added a refreshing green background amongst the grey. The rapini has gone into flower to add some cheer.

Globe Artichokes

I grew these globe artichokes (Cynara scolymus) from seed about 6 months ago. I wanted them more for their spectacular gray-green foliage than the edible bud. Being a hardy plant, I have situated it in a very exposed and often dry area of the garden. I had previously tried growing beans, silverbeet and lettuce in the same spot, but they suffered stunted growth, went to seed very quickly or got sunburnt leaves. The artichokes on the other hand are very happy and thriving. I also intend to plant sunflowers in the same area this year.