I'm wondering if the steadiness of low temperatures helps; I know I have some marginally hardy stuff to my area that survives counter-intuitively in the lowest part of my yard -- the coldest part. And I wonder if something about that helps in a way, even though it's colder, it's cold and steady, compared to other parts of the yard that warm up and freeze periodically through the winter - so no freeze/thaw. I wonder if the artichokes would be better off with a steady freeze.
I've never tried bananas here, but I have overwintered them indoors. Theoretically, it can be done.
I've never managed rosemary outdoors and feel like it's analogous -- trying rosemary outdoors under an overturned pyrex bowl from Goodwill this year. As far as I can tell, nobody in zone 5 manages rosemary consistently, especially now when we don't have reliable snow cover in New England.
We don't know until we try, I guess.
I read through the thread and hear the issues with mice/voles. I have those as an ongoing thing but have managed around it by planting daffodils around the vulnerable...I move daffs in the green, in the spring, so conceivably -- I could surround the newly planted artichokes with daffodils, to protect them from critters.
Also starting cardoons. Assuming it's a similar deal. Although I know what to do what to do with an artichoke if I ever harvest one. Cardoons are purely theoretical but have you seen these things? They're gorgeous.
Anyway: would love to hear any successes and failures.
