Sheer joy

I’ve been a neglectful gardener lately, what with one thing and another, so I had a wonderful floral surprise when I found this Italian artichoke had flowered. And what a flower! As you can see it’s the size of a small plate, one that shouldn’t be on dry land - maybe underwater on a tropical reef. The central inflorescence is soft to touch and delicately scented. I’ve never let one flower before as they’re one of my favourite foods, but I’ll be leaving it again for the sheer joy of it.