When they’re small, cardoon plants are singularly unimpressive.  It looks like a bunch of scrawny leave jutting up from the ground in a way that is nothing special.

Once it’s fully grown, it is actually very pretty and makes a nice accent plant in your garden.

It can grow up to 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide.  Its arching fronds are now very impressive.

The cardoon is an edible thistle plant that is related to the daisy.  It is also called the Artichoke Thistle.

It has a growing season of 3 to 3-1/2 months before it’s ready to be harvested.  If you plan to eat it, the leaves should be protected from sunlight so they do not develop any chlorophyll. Only the centers of the leaves are eaten.

Cardoon is also a traditional supplement in the treatment of chronic liver and gall bladder diseases, jaundice, hepatitis, arteriosclerosis and the early stages of late-onset diabetes.

However you plan to use it, this is an impressive plant.