On Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:11:51 -0400 in Richard Evans wrote:
I have five artichoke plants in my container garden. The foliage is
lush, but no sign of any artichokes. I seem to recall reading that it
takes two years to form artichokes. Should I just let the plants
winter over and see what happens next year?

It's a perennial.
But appears to only be hardy to Zone 8a.
If you can plant them in the ground close to the house on a southern exposure
you probably won't need to do more than put a sheet over them on the coldest
nights this winter.
Otherwise, pull them inside just before the first night it's due to hit
25F.
--
Chris Dukes