Gardening is one exciting adventure with many side trips along the way. One of my favorite trips was made with a cardoon plant.
The 18-month sojourn began when I saw dried cardoon flowers used in an interesting arrangement.
Discovering The Cardoon Vegetable
Checking with an encyclopedia, I discovered that the cardoon is a vegetable. I paid 25 cents for a package of seeds, planted them, and the first sprout appeared ten days later.
Due to a space shortage, I chose the strongest seedling and planted it in a sunny open position ax and tried for a bloom or two if I could hold the plant over for the following year.
During the winter months, no special precautions were taken against freezing weather.
Living in a mild climate, the temperature did not drop below 26° degrees Fahrenheit. The gray leaves were available for flower arrangements even during the coldest months.
My cardoon was treated to a generous mulch of well-rotted cow manure in early spring. By May, our neighbors brought their guests to see the beautiful big plant.
Even the blooming rhododendrons, flowering shrubs, trees, and beds of tulips couldn’t take the spotlight from the cardoon.
It was now 5′ feet tall with leaves 5′ feet long—a huge, impressive plant. Tulips of mixed colors in the same flower border emphasized the plant.
The Delight of Buds and Blooms
By the middle of June, I saw the first sign of a bud forming. Success! As weeks went by at least 80 buds could be counted.
On the first of August, my cardoon was 8′ tall, and in bloom. Huge cup-size, thistle-like blooms covered the plant.
They were blue with a lavender metallic tint. Bumble bees came from miles around to seek the source of the strong, sweet smell of the blossoms.
Creating Stunning Arrangements
I had arrangement material second to none. I made a huge arrangement for a hotel lobby using a large pewter bowl, the metallic blue foliage of Juniperus Squamata meyeri, and blooms from the cardoon.
Upon request from the harried room clerks, the arrangement had to be removed—it had resulted in too many questions from guests for busy clerks to answer.
I hung some of the blooms upside down for later use in dried arrangements. Place a paper bag over the seed head to remove the seeds from the cardoon and fasten it securely around the stems.
Vigorous shaking will loosen the seeds, leaving the orange-tan bristle head. Florists highly prize this portion for use in fall arrangements.
44659 by Dorothy Adams