Artichoke ‘Violet de Provence’

Description from Sarah Raven

Perennial Artichokes don’t come 100% true from seed, you will get slight variation in shape and colour, but from our selection of seeds you’ll get plenty of quick-cropping plants for your garden.
Violet de Provence is a beautiful and early globe artichoke. We start eating these in late May. Picked small, the buds have no choke. If you cut the whole plant down to the ground (leaves and all) they will crop again 6-8 weeks later.
I love globe artichokes so I pick from these plants first, then ‘Gros Vert de Laon’, by which time ‘Violet’ is cropping again. It’s worth having a few plants of each so you get a good successional system with these perennial plants. I also spray these silver and use them at Christmas. They look fantastic.
Perfect for bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects.

• Product Code: 110025
• Quantity: 30 seeds
• Variety: Artichoke ‘Violet de Provence’ (syn. ‘Violetta di Chioggia’)
• Type: Perennial Site: Need a well-drained, rich soil and full sun.
• Sowing: Sow under cover in early March – July. Plant out when roots fill a 9cm pot. They can also be sown direct in July.
• Height: 1.2-1.5m (4-5ft)
• Spacing: 60cm apart.
• Care tips: Cut them down to the ground in summer. May need staking in windy areas.
• Harvest: May produce small artichokes in first summer but remove these ot eat at golf ball size. Don’t allow them to grow to full size as they will hamper the development of the plant. The harvest in the following years will be most prolific in July. Pick when scales are tightly closed to be at their best for eating or allow to flower if you want to use them in arrangements.
• Cooking Notes: Cut underneath the globe, and place in boiling water and cook for 40-45mins until tender.
• For the vase: Artichoke flowers are great for cutting.