Cynara cardunculus

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The famed cardoon, aka Cynara cardunculus, makes a dramatic winter evergreen statement in the sunny perennial border with its 3-4' long, arching, ghost-like, jagged, soft-grey foli age. Once the 4' wide drought-loving clumps are established, they are topped with 6' tall stalks of blue-violet, thistle-like flowers in late summer. After flowering, cardoons die to the ground for a month-long rest before re-sprouting. For a striking, bold-textured accent plant, you can't beat cardoon! Cardoon, which sounds more like a mythical place in Scotland than a plant, was chosen by the Royal Horticultural Society as one of the top 200 plants of the last 200 years. Cynara cardunculus is actually an ornamental form of the edible artichoke. Best results will be found in well-drained soils that stay on the dry side in winter. Show more