Cardoon Plant 'Bianco Avorio'

A vegetable widely cultivated in Victorian England that is related to the Globe Artichoke - except it's the stems that are cooked and eaten in late autumn/winter rather than the flowerheads. You may recall it was featured by Harry Dodson in the BBC's Victorian Kitchen Garden series, and was also championed by Clarissa Dickson Wright, of Two Fat Ladies fame.

It is the perfect vegetable to grow in the herbaceous border as it is perennial in habit, with a very attractive pink/purple flower and very striking leaves.

Recommended by the RHS to be an excellent attractant and nectar source for bees and other beneficial insects if allowed to 'go over' and flower (so if you have room leave any plants in that have gone too far rather than pulling them out straight away).

• Grows up to 6 feet (1.8 metres) tall.
• Prefers a rich, well-drained but moisture-retentive soil, and likes a sheltered, sunny position.
• Plant out from late April until August-September. Set plants 3 ft (90 cm) apart. They need a lot of space.
• Keep weed-free, and water well in dry spells. Provide stakes when the plants reach 12" (30 cm) in height.
• Blanch plants in late summer/early autumn by wrapping them up to exclude the light 6-8 weeks before harvest, and earth up at the base of the plant.
• Cardoons are vulnerable to attack by slugs and snails. Treat with BioFriend Slug-Banish. Black bean aphids and root aphids can also be a problem. We recommend spraying with our BioFriend Plant Defence.
• Cardoons are frost-tender perennials so after the plants are cut down for the winter, protect the crowns with straw, horticultural fleece or newspaper.