Purple miracle - plant artichoke

lil4a (65)in #gardening • 7 years ago (edited)

Done! Finally my purple wonder has blossomed!

So long was the flowering of an artichoke that I have, frankly, already vague doubts crept in that it generally blooms. But just a couple of days the Bud is fully open and formed such an unusual, interesting purple flower. And I want to see that, indeed, the flowering of artichoke is very similar to the bloom of a Thistle (Silybum marianum), which, incidentally, is his cousin and has the same therapeutic properties.

I call the artichoke miracle plant for its amazing properties

Artichoke may even need to eat. It is very rich in vitamins, fibre and beneficial trace elements, which help in the treatment of many diseases, and is useful for prevention.

Its medicinal properties are endless and are able to heal more than a dozen different diseases. In addition, the buds of artichoke very tasty - different from them prepare vitamin salads, they can put out and apply to the meat.

And there was this wonderful and amazing plant on my site quite by accident.

The fact that one day I decided to order seeds of asparagus, but I made a mistake when they made the order, or not in the store that issued. But the error I saw, when, instead of asparagus from the soil appeared prickly bushes, which will eventually become huge, with high stems and large prickly leaves.

After some time on the high and massive stems appeared large buds the size of an Apple. And here it became clear to me that this kind of plant. But I knew that the artichoke is a perennial plant whose buds appear in the second year, and then suddenly in the first year. But only on one Bush, on the other.

But the bushes have grown gorgeous, large and powerful. And all because my artichoke permanently abundantly watered and grows on the Sunny side of the site that is the most essential conditions for good growth and flowering.

Artichoke propagated by both seeds and young sprouts from the root system, which appear already in the third year of the life of the plant. When the shoots appear 2-3 leaf, then it will be possible to separate young shoots from the roots of the mother plant.

Seed multiplication is much easier. It would be better to first sow the seeds in special boxes and leave them in the room, and after the appearance of fledgling sprouts to plant them on a plot of land. But I never did (I did not even know what will grow), just at the beginning of may the seeds planted in the open ground and then watered. The rest of nature has done all by herself

And now, a couple of weeks, I've had these suspicious prickly bushes. And after another two months, by the end of August, on one Bush buds appeared, which was to be cut and eaten. But the salads I decided to postpone until next year because I really wanted to see how they still bloom. What basically happened, could hardly wait.

Revealed only one large purple flower. Sami petals of the blossoms were quite hard and the base of the Bud consists of thick, fleshy petals - their appearance reminded me immediately of the pineapple, and it feels very solid, unbending.

How many different bees flew the flower of the artichoke! Insects, apparently, didn't want to share sweet and gentle with pollen even put up a fight, it was amusing to observe a bee buzzing in a ball.

But soon it will start cold, and, though the artichoke and is considered frost-resistant, but our cold can not move. So without insulation can not do, and in the winter I will have to sprinkle the base of a Bush with small sawdust, and on top of even a thick ball of dry leaves. So, just to be sure the roots of the artichoke survived the winter.

And then next year heartily gorge on delicious, enriched salad of artichokes:)