Artichokes make bees happy

A bee digs deep into an artichoke flower
 in midtown Sacramento. (Photo: Debbie Arrington)

Celebrate Pollinator Week with purple powderpuffs

Sharing brings benefits. Such is the case with artichokes and bees.

Letting a few late-season artichokes bloom out seems like an appropriate way to celebrate National Pollinator Week. Artichokes, a member of the thistle family, are harvested before the flowers open. But the purple powderpuff inside the edible petals is what the bees love. 

When harvested, those amazing flower heads are still maturing. (They form the fuzzy choke above the meaty artichoke heart. Allowed to develop and fully open, the artichoke flower becomes a bee banquet, irresistible to these important pollinators. 

One reminder: Those bees are pollinating those artichoke flowers, which likely will form seed. According to the UC Cooperative Extension, the seed produced by globe artichokes (California's most popular variety) reverts to a wild, invasive and very thorny cousin. So cut the flower heads off when they turn brown before they can distribute seed throughout your garden. 

One more plus: They make attractive dried flowers, too.
-- Debbie Arrington