While this sun-loving thistle variety is cultivated as a food, it also produces flowers and foliage that are a feast for the eyes! The emerging flower head consists of many small flower buds and bracts on an edible base. These purple, 3-6" blooms are gorgeously set off by the plant's striking silvery, prickly foliage. Great in back of a border and a dramatic cut flower. Dead flower heads can be left on the plants over the winter to provide visual interest.