First, a photo of the back garden area, aka the privet hedge garden:

That does not look like much, but the echinacea, borage, and Joe Pye weed will by this time next year have colonized the area.  It will be a riot of blossoms and butterflies.

You may, if you are a long-time reader, remember the Dill Plant That Ate Newnan (RIP). Pfft.  That plant was a piker compared to the Cardoon That Couldn’t Be Stopped.

The acanthus-looking leaf there is the cardoon plant one year ago after arriving from the Growers Exchange.

Here it is in its second year of life.  And it has a secret.  Yesterday I peered into the rising central stalk and…

The thistles have arrived!  Yes, they are cousins to artichokes (which are themselves thistles); one cooks and eats them basically the same way.  I counted six on their way, and I bet there are more.

Stay tuned.