Cirsium oleraceum
20 seeds per packet.
A useful perennial thistle, native to areas of wet soil in central and eastern Europe and Asia. Produces creamy flowers with a hint of purple (as the flowers open) on tall stems in July to September with eye-catching pale green and white bracts. As well as being a great bee and butterfly it is cultivated in Japan and India as an edible. The young spinless leaves can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable, or cut an dried and used for a herbal tea. Height 1.5 metres. Full sun to part shade in moist soil.
GROWING INSTRUCTIONS:
Sow from March to June. Cover seed thinly, press in gently and keep top of compost from drying out. Keep pot warm at 15 to 20°C until germination, then move to somewhere cooler.
Carefully prick out seedlings when they have developed true leaves and are large enough to transplant to individual pots to grow on.