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Family description Cynara.

Cynara may be grown as a gourmet vegetable or an imposing focus plant in the flower borders. As an ornamental plant, the silver foliage and the statuesque nature alone makes growing this plant worthwhile, but there is the added bonus of the blue thistle-like flower heads in late summer. In ideal conditions, Cynara will attain a height of about 2 metres, and as such, requires plenty of space. Growing this plant as a vegetable requires some expertise as the stems have to be blanched for 5-6 weeks to remove the extremely bitter taste, and is outside the scope of this website at the moment. The flowers last well indoors if cut, and they can be dried for use in everlasting dried flower arrangements.

General care.

Cardoon requires fertile soil, plenty of fertilizer, and a steady supply of water during the growing period. Once flowering has finished, remove the flower stalk unless you require the seeds. Remove old leaves to keep the crown tidy. As autumn approaches, new basal shoots will emerge and over winter as a smaller plant. If you are looking for something different for the patio, try one of these in a very large pot. Feed well with fertilizer and ensure the plant never goes short of water.

Notes on Toxicity or Culinary usage.

Young flowerbuds may be eaten but are inferior to globe artichokes. Stems of new shoots are blanched in the autumn then cooked like celery. Roots may also be eaten. Yellow dye is also produced from the plant.

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Species description. Cynara cardunculus.

Robust plant growing to 3 meters or more in good soil. The extremely large thistle-like foliage make this a dramatic architectural plant.

Display characteristics for Cynara cardunculus.

• Plant type: Dicotyledon. Evergreen
• Habit: Erect
• Type: Perennial.
• Height: 3.00 mtr.
• Spread: 1.50 mtr.
• Attractive to wildlife: None
• Preferred soil type: Clay. Loam. Sand. Silt.
• Soil moisture requirement: Medium
• Soil ph: Undefined
• Suitable position: Open ground. Border.
• Light requirements: Full sun. Part sun.
• Summer water requirements: Medium
• Winter water requirements: None
• Minimum temperature: -10 °c
• Safe Minimum temperature: -5 °c
• Safe Maximum temperature: 35 °c
• Maximum temperature: 0 °c
• Wind tolerance: High
• Salt tolerance: None
• Drought tolerance: High
• Waterlogging tolerance: Medium
• Toxicity-Edibility: Ethnic foodstuff. Use with caution.
• Bloom attributes: Flower arrangement. Dried flower. Showy display.
• Foliage attributes: Flower arrangement. Showy display. Edible.
• Berry attributes: Undefined
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