I have grown plants for several years in Cheshire and now in Devon. I used
to cover with straw in winter otherwise treat them as hardy perennials. You
can propagate by splitting as iwth other herbaceous perennials-that's how I
first got my Cheshire plants from a friend.
In Devon -I have had to grow them in a shaded area in a milder, damper
climate and they seem vulnerable to rotting over the winter. They are
thistles and I guess their glaucous foliage points to a plant that likes
bright airy conditions.
Regards
David T
"Dr Wu" wrote in message
...

"Dr Wu" wrote in message news:...
Can globe artichokes survive the winter outside? We have a few on an
allotment that we took over this summer but nobody down there has grown
them
before.At present they are about 2 feet high and went in as seeds in
about
July.