Cynara Species, Artichoke, Cardoon, French Artichoke, Globe Artichoke
Cynara scolymus
Family: | Asteraceae (ass-ter-AY-see-ee) (Info) |
Genus: | Cynara (SIN-uh-ruh) (Info) |
Species: | scolymus (SKOL-ee-mus) (Info) |

Category:
Herbs
Water Requirements:
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Foliage:
This plant is resistant to deer
Foliage Color:
Bronze
Height:
4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)
Spacing:
4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)
Hardiness:
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
Where to Grow:
Grow outdoors year-round in hardiness zone
Can be grown as an annual
Danger:
Plant has spines or sharp edges; use extreme caution when handling
Bloom Color:
Medium Purple
Bloom Characteristics:
Bloom Size:
Bloom Time:
Mid Summer
Other details:
May be a noxious weed or invasive
Soil pH requirements:
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
Patent Information:
Non-patented
Propagation Methods:
From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall
From seed; winter sow in vented containers, coldframe or unheated greenhouse
From seed; stratify if sowing indoors
From seed; sow indoors before last frost
Self-sows freely; deadhead if you do not want volunteer seedlings next season
Seed Collecting:
Collect seedhead/pod when flowers fade; allow to dry
Allow seedheads to dry on plants; remove and collect seeds
Properly cleaned, seed can be successfully stored
Regional
This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:
Hereford, Arizona
Peoria, Arizona
FIDDLETOWN, California
Hercules, California
Manhattan Beach, California
Sacramento, California
San Jose, California
Thousand Oaks, California
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Loganville, Georgia
Dayton, Kentucky
Stanton, Nebraska
Pahrump, Nevada
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Elephant Butte, New Mexico
Cleveland, Ohio
Salem, Oregon
Germantown, Tennessee
Corpus Christi, Texas
Georgetown, Texas
Hempstead, Texas
Princeton, Texas
Richmond, Texas
, Virginia
Kalama, Washington
Kirkland, Washington
Puyallup, Washington(2 reports)
White Center, Washington
show allGardeners' Notes:
Rating | Content |
---|---|
Positive | On Apr 22, 2012, jjb1966 from Cleveland, OH wrote: I bought this on a lark for decoration. It was the talk of the yard! It became huge last year; the leaves alone are spectacular. I did cover with leaf mulch for winter, but did not cut it down. It looks like it made it through this very mild winter. Just hope I can get some flowers this year. |
Positive | On May 10, 2009, Levdrakon from Colorado Springs, CO (Zone 5a) wrote: I planted some seeds last spring just for the fun of it. I expected to use it as an ornamental that would die come winter here in zone 5. I planted it near the foundation of the sun room facing south in a garden bed with fairly poor, clay soil. The plant did well and overtook the space around it for at least two or more feet. Fall came, the frosts came, and it died back to the ground. I didn't bother to mulch or anything, but in hindsight, that probably would have been a good idea. |
Positive | On May 3, 2009, angele wrote: Overwintered beautifully in Elephant Butte, NM. First bud noticed on 2 year old plant May 3. My mouth is watering already! |
Positive | On Sep 5, 2008, gardenmom05 from Peoria, AZ wrote: I have been growing this plant for two years now in USDA zone 11, near Glendale, Arizona. |
Positive | On May 7, 2008, essier from Germantown, TN wrote: I bought this plant last spring (2007) on a whim to see what would happen. I had never seen one in a plant store or nursery in my area. It grew large, four feet around by 3 1/2 feet high, and produced 1 or 2 flowers. Being unsure as to when to harvest, I left them and they turned into beautiful flowers. |
Neutral | On Apr 10, 2008, yotedog from Raleigh, NC wrote: This is a spectacular plant, given the right site--very eye-catching and sculptural, and the bloom color is wonderful against the dark grey-green of the leaves. |
Positive | On Feb 15, 2006, hothaus from Seattle, WA (Zone 8b) wrote: A huge bang for the buck! My tiny start became enormous in one season. It bears at least two crops of a dozen or more chokes annually. However, they never seem as tender and fleshy as the ones at the market. Perhaps that is because I never water it? Also, it seems to have attracted snails, which had not been present in my garden before. |
Positive | On Apr 19, 2005, saya from Heerlen, I've grown Cynara scolymus and C. cardunculus both. |
Neutral | On Apr 18, 2005, nevadagdn from Sparks, NV (Zone 7a) wrote: I successfully killed (unsuccessfully grew) this plant. The winter cold got it. I'm in Zone 7a, so that's not exactly a surprise. |
Positive | On Apr 18, 2005, billbird2111 from Sacramento, CA wrote: My wife and I planted four artichoke plants last spring in a raised bed filled with planter mix. We had moderate success that first summer. The plants grew, but the artichokes were tough and the hearts very small. |
Positive | On Feb 11, 2005, NMbob from Monroe, UT (Zone 5b) wrote: It's been a well mannered pest-free plant in my yard for over 5 years. Zone 7, Albuquerque NM. I've very much enjoyed the large, architectural blue-green leaves (3feet long) and very large chokes - only 2-3 per plant per season. It DOES attract snails/slugs, so a regular regimen of buggetta or other snail bait is a must! I usually let the chokes go to full bloom and let the stalk freeze/dry before cutting and adding to a winter dried flower arrangement. Or cut at full bloom & dry; the violet color is nearly everlasting as a dried flower. |
Negative | On Jul 3, 2004, cabogal from Kirkland, WA (Zone 7b) wrote: I planted young artichoke plants 3 years ago. That first season I harvested several tiny artichokes per plant. The next year the plants were well established and produced 3-4 beautiful large artichokes per plant. Near the end of the season I began noticing honeydew ant colonies which had attracted swarms of aphids. The plants were covered in aphids trapped in a black honeydew. I didn't give it much thought and didn't do anything because I had already harvested. |
Positive | On Jun 15, 2004, timberlineranch from Redmond, OR wrote: We have grown and harvested artichokes here in Central Oregon (Redmond) they do very well and taste better than store bought, also they prefer to get nipped by frost it inhances the flavor, but you do need to know when to harvest them. |
Positive | On Feb 22, 2004, Lauribob from Twisp, WA wrote: I grow artichokes as an annual in my zone 4-5 garden. We sometimes eat them but I love the huge flowers more than anything. I have been buying starts from the farmer's market but tried to start them from seed last year. Despite my efforts of using a bottom heating mat in my little greenhouse and covering with a glass cloche, I didn't get any to germinate. Does anyone have any suggestions? |
Positive | On Dec 22, 2003, wnstarr from Puyallup, WA (Zone 5a) wrote: Edgewood, Washington |
Negative | On Dec 21, 2003, palmbob from Acton, CA (Zone 8b) wrote: I like artichokes but we could never get edible ones out of our plants. They weren't so invasive as they were massive and spreading... but the most amazing thing to me was what snail magnets they were. I could pick off literally hundreds of snais off these plants every morning. I don't know where the snails were hiding since most of the other plants nearby weren't the type to hyde or attract snails. Also had a couple very large, happy ant colonies create their livlihood around and in these plants. Perhaps all this added fauna was what kept our artichokes from being edible. Great flowers, though- got about 40-50 per plant each year. Eventually yanked them out of the ground- couldn't believe how massive they had become.. like small trees. |
Positive | On Nov 15, 2003, Monocromatico from Rio de Janeiro, This european native was brought to Brazil by the portuguese colonizers. It never became a massively popular plant, since there are only a few places where it can grow here, but still a very apreciated vegetable. |
Neutral | On Jan 27, 2003, Greenknee from Chantilly, VA (Zone 6b) wrote: I grew this plant for several years (zone 6/7). Each fall, cut foliage to ground and mulch heavily. Did not do too well, produced few artichoke buds of edible size - may need very rich soil, more feeding to flourish this far north. |
Neutral | On Jan 27, 2003, ideboda from T-village ;) - Friesland, Maybe the frost-sensitive Cynara scolymus was cultivated long ago out of the wild artichoke C. cardunculus which must be winder-hardy itself, for it grows in the wild in France (Vendée) where the climate isn't all that mild. |
Neutral | On Jan 26, 2003, Terry from Murfreesboro, TN (Zone 7a) wrote: Some taxonomists believe Cynara cardunculus and C. scolymus are synonyms. |
Neutral | On Aug 11, 2001, mystic from Ewing, KY (Zone 6a) wrote: Globe artichokes are perennial, frost sensitive, thistle-like plants with edible flower buds. The silvery green plants are 4-5 feet tall and spread outward 5-6 feet. The flower buds arise on the terminal portion of the main stem and on lateral stems. Each unopened flower bud resembles a deep green pine cone, 3-4 inches in diameter, round, but slightly elongated. Several pointed, leathery green bracts fold around a purple-blue flower. The base of each bract is the fleshy edible portion, along with the fleshy center of the artichoke on which the flower and bracts are borne. Buds that are left on the plant open to 6inch purple-blue flowers. These are dried and used in floral arrangements. |