Preparing for Winter

Did I ever tell you all about my 'choke?

last spring (two growing seasons ago now) i planted little artichoke seeds. yep. seeded the chokes from scratch baby. and three of them grew into beautiful spiky little seedlings. but i was stupid. oh so stupid. i thought you just plunk them in the ground and then that becomes their forever home....

beginner mistake: if the seed grows then doesn't that mean they're able to grow in this temp. region?

lesson learned: just cuz something germinates doesn't mean the plant is hardy to that zone.

Artichokes can grow in my zone (6-7)- no sweat. but to winter in my zone is another story. that's like hoping plumerias (native to tropical and subtropical regions) will be able to super-bulk up and bunker down for the heavy snow of the Pacific Northwest.... No, what will actually happen is they'll be thinking "WTF IS THIS COLD?! gaahhhhhhhhhhhh" {wither away.... die}.






poor plumeria... they're sooooo pretty! from wikimedia

though artichokes are not that sensitive to cold, there does need to a be a LITTLE bit of coddling to make sure these little guys grow up to be the big strong edible flowers they need to be. 

Coddling which I absolutely did not do. yay me. but i didn't know! (ugh it's getting exhausting to constantly create mass destruction of some kind because "i didn't know")

No more.. this year the snow is yet to arrive and the coddling (though late) will happen. and my 'chokes will flourish!! you'll see!!