You mentioned you've got artichokes. I'd love to grow those - are they hard to keep alive?
I only have one big one I have had for about 4 years and all I ever do is pull off the dead branches every once in a while. It has about 6 small chokes emerging on it now and is a good decorative bush. And we do get below freezing here for extended days most winters. My neighbor finally got envious of my choke and and planted himself an artichoke this week.
If you want to see miles and miles of artichoke, drive through Castroville California. It is the artichoke capital of the world.
