Cardoon, also known as the artichoke thistle, is a unique plant with a beautiful noble appearance. This ornamental, medicinal and vegetable plant is still rather unknown. It does not grow everywhere as it has special cultivation requirements. We still encourage you to learn more about it. Even though it is a perennial, it is most commonly grown as an annual. A mature plant grows from 60 to 180 cm.
The large, decoratively bent leaves and huge flower heads constitute a unique site. Each cardoon inflorescence consists of myriads of disc flowers that protrude from the tightly packed scales. The pinnatisect, light green leaves are pubescent at the bottom side. They are truly huge - up to 50 cm long and 35 cm wide. The erect stems that end with flowers constitute a unique garden ornament. We recommend to grow them in a less frequented places due to their sharp thorns. The dark pink flowers look very attractive and can be cut and put into vases. Their sturdiness allows to use them in dry arrangements, too. This plant presents high ornamental value on perennial borders, but looks great at the wall and fence background and planted alone, too.
Sunny sites that are sheltered from wind prove to be optimal for cardoon cultivation. This plant prefers warmth and fertile loamy soils that are rich in nutrients. Sow the seeds early in spring into large boxes or pots in a heated room. Sow 2-3 seeds per pocket or pot. Leave only the strongest seedling after the emergence. Soak the seeds in water before planting. Seedlings at the 2 to 3 true leaf stage should be planted on the target site 1 metre apart in the second half of May. The time needed to grow seedlings that are ready to be planted is estimated at 10 weeks.
Should you wish to use card as a vegetable, you need to whiten the leaf stalks by protecting them from sunlight. This treatment usually takes 3 weeks. Start it in September by binding the leaf rosette together and covering it with paper or hay. This treatment is performed in order to free the leaf stalks from bitterness.
The cardoon is considered an elegant, noble vegetable that is highly regarded by gourmands. Its leaf stalks are served braised, roasted, seldomly raw. Cardoon is also considered a medicinal plant. It has anticancer and antioxidant properties, helps to regulate blood tension and lower the cholesterol level in blood.
One package contains 1 gram of seeds. You will find the basic plant facts, the growing instructions and the sow-by date at the back of the package.
- Height: 60 - 180 cm
- Use: ornamental - garden, cut flower, dry arrangements; medicinal; vegetable
- Growth form: erect
- Flower colour: dark pink
- Vegetation form: perennial, usually grown as an annual
- Foliage: large, pinnatisect, light green leaves
- Site: sunny, wind-sheltered; fertile, loamy soil rich in nutrients
- Weight (in grams): 1 g
GardenSeedsMarket - has been in business for more than a decade and from the very beginning we have made the quality of our products the top priority. Throughout the years we have delivered the best quality goods to tens of thousands of customers from all over the world. Their satisfaction proves that we had chosen the right way.
All seeds we sell are subject to a multi-level quality control checks and only then are carefully packed and dispatched. Our products have been awarded numerous certificates and comply with the highest standards of the European Union. Our employees are experienced gardeners who are more than happy to answer your every question.
Where do our seeds come from?
All of the seeds sold in our shop come from the best producers from across the European Union. Thanks to a long-standing cooperation with them we were able to develop the most adequate storing and dispatch conditions, guaranteeing that you always receive fresh and carefully tested batches of seeds. Exclusion of the middlemen from the whole process not only makes it possible for us to avoid sending out-of-date seeds that might have been lying too long on a warehouse shelf, but also ensures the most attractive price for top quality products.
The quality control process
All our seeds must pass a four-stage quality control process.
Stage one begins with a careful selection of the suppliers. Than we proceed with controlling their crops, foreign producers are not excluded from the quality control process. Plants are checked at every stage of their development: when they start to grow, during blooming and when they start bearing fruit (seeds). At this stage the most important thing is to ensure proper spacing of the plants. Thanks to that obtaining the desired morphological characteristics of each particular species or variety, such as colour, height and shape, can be ensured.
Stage two consists of a detailed verification tests in laboratory conditions. With the use of the highest quality equipment by the highly qualified staff, our suppliers perform more than 30 000 quality checks annually. The seeds that do not meet our requirements are subject to technological refining processes, including drying, cleaning, upgrading and testing again.
Stage three starts with sowing seeds in selected control plots. That way we obtain valuable, exact information concerning their germination that must be maintained at an appropriate level. Simultaneously, the varietal identity of each species is checked at this stage.
Stage four takes place in our warehouses and consists of eliminating seeds that have been stored for too long on our shelves and replacing them with new batches. Each package is stamped with a unique batch number and also with the sow-by-date.
All four stages combined allow us to state with confidence that the seeds we deliver comply with the highest standards and have completed all required control stages with flying colours.
Prizes and awards
The seeds we sell are widely recognized for their quality and have won many awards. Our seeds won numerous gold medals and distinctions for their high quality. The World of Flowers was also honoured for its innovative approach.
Among those awards there were: TOP INNOVATION (June 2015), GOLD MEDAL AT THE POZNAN INTERNATIONAL FAIR (2015), CONSUMER QUALITY LEADER (2014), FARMER OF THE YEAR (2014).
In addition, we have also been awarded the “IDEAL BUSINESS” certificate for two years in a row.
Germination
We are committed to selling only the highest quality seeds. Taking into consideration the efforts we make daily, please also note that plants are living organisms and their germination and growth depends on many factors, such as temperature, soil type, humidity and the frequency with that they are watered, sowing time and conditions, use of fertilizers and plant protection agents (pesticides), as well as weather and climate conditions. We provide help by sharing the accurate and up-to-date sowing and growing information, however, we cannot bear any responsibility for the plants that were not cultivated in conditions appropriate for given species.
