Description
Purple Romagna Artichoke is an heirloom vegetable from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, prized for richly colored violet buds, nutty flavor, tender hearts, and meaty leaves. The plants are dramatic as well as edible, growing 3-5 ft. tall with large silvery-green foliage and purple buds that can be harvested young or left to bloom into thistle-like flowers for pollinators.
Why Grow It
- Italian heirloom artichoke with richly colored violet-purple buds and gourmet flavor.
- Tender hearts and meaty leaves are suited to steaming, grilling, roasting, and baby artichoke harvests.
- Perennial in mild zones 7-11 and useful as a long-lived food forest or edible landscape plant.
- Large silvery-green foliage and purple thistle-like blooms add ornamental structure if buds are not harvested.
- Includes 25 seeds with a brief 2-week moist cold treatment before sowing.
Growing Information
| Botanical name | Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus |
|---|---|
| Life cycle | Perennial vegetable in zones 7-11; can be grown as an annual in cooler regions with an early start |
| Mature height | 3-5 ft. tall with large silvery-green foliage |
| Light | Full sun |
| Bloom or harvest window | Harvest young baby artichokes or mature purple buds before they open; unharvested buds become purple thistle-like flowers |
| Seed count | 25 seeds |
| Bud color | Violet-purple artichoke buds with silvery-green thistle foliage |
| Sowing advice | Give seeds a brief 2-week moist cold treatment in the refrigerator, then sow at 60-70 F. Start early indoors for annual production in cool regions, or sow in spring; zones 8-11 can also sow in fall or winter. |
| Spacing | Space 3-4 ft. apart in full-sun vegetable beds, perennial borders, or food forest plantings |
| Germination | Usually 10-21 days at 60-70 F after a 2-week moist cold treatment |
Best For
- perennial vegetable gardens
- food forest plantings
- Mediterranean kitchen gardens
- steaming, grilling, and roasting
- ornamental edible beds
- pollinator blooms if left unharvested
Packet Details
Includes 25 seeds. Store seeds cool, dry, and dark until stratification. Artichoke seedlings need time to size up, so start early when growing them as annuals in cool climates.
FAQ
Are artichokes perennial?
Purple Romagna can return each year in mild zones 7-11. In cooler climates, start seeds early indoors and grow it as an annual crop.
Do the seeds need cold treatment?
Yes. Fold seeds into a moist paper towel, seal in a bag, refrigerate for about 2 weeks, then sow at 60-70 F.
When should I harvest artichoke buds?
Harvest young baby buds or full heads while the bracts are still tight. If left unharvested, the buds open into purple thistle-like flowers.
How much space does Purple Romagna need?
Give plants about 3-4 ft. of space in full sun, because mature artichokes make large architectural clumps.
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