May 19, 2017
Question: I have an artichoke plant; I have never seen it flower. It looks like I have an artichoke on the plant, don't plants have to flower in order to fruit?
Kelly
Lea County, NM
Answer: Yes, you have a young artichoke plant that is maturing and coming into its flowering (fruit) process. On artichokes you are eating the terminal growing point, which is the vegetative head of the artichoke. If this is left on the plant the artichoke itself becomes the terminal flower. The green artichoke head is tight in the bud form and this bud is what is cut and eaten. Leaving the flowering head will dramatically change in a few days as the bud now expands and fills out inside with thousands of individual stamens/ovaries to bloom an electric brilliant blue flower. Each filament contained in the artichoke head will produce a seed, with a parachute end much like the dandelion seed head. As time goes by the flowering process will cease and the head will flatten out and begin to dry-out for seeds to be blown away.
Gold finches, purple-headed finches and some of the song sparrows will feast on the seeds if left on the plant. The head can be cut for dried flower arranging materials.
Artichokes will basal multiply creating side shoot plants and they will send up artichokes to eat and flower. The first artichokes of the year are the largest and then will be smaller on the side branches off the mother plant.
Let them bloom out. They are amazing in colors, they will attract attention from passerbies and they will want to know what alien flower you are growing.
Get out and grow something!
Dr. Dirt
