An Unexpected Artichoke

Artichoke with deep purple accents

An Artichoke of a Different Color

Because my garden is small, I often will buy my veggies in single or six packs.  When you do this, you rely on the tag to know what you are buying.  I have been planting artichokes for the past four or five years, always selecting a seedling labeled "green globe."   I am always rewarded with a show of green artichokes of varying sizes. 

This year, the artichokes surprised me.  When the 'chokes started growing, they were green and had deep purple accents.  Then, the surprise went further when I saw I had two styles growing.  The one is the round, globe style seen in the veggie displays in grocery or farmers' markets.  The second style which grew never was tight or globe-like.  The leaves are elongated and presented themselves in an open style right from the beginning.