Nice find...

[acstoon]

Wife & I were walking the dogs... our normal routine is to follow the trails at the local school's nature center/preserve.
While going down one of the more remote paths, we ran across a very large patch of Scottish Bull Thistle!
All were very well shaped, and many in full bloom.
I am certainly no gardener, but it was impressive.
I may take the camera, next time, to try to get some pix... I'd really like to bring some back to the yard, to grow. Will have to do some reading, about propagating them.

[ardchoille]

You won't have to do much growing, those things grow on their own.. anywhere.. whether you want them to or not

[Pleater]

My usual method was to put on heavy gloves, drag them out of the ground roots and all, chop them up and then bury them in the deepest part of the compost bin, firm them in well, and put a lid on.

Never failed to produce a healthy crop of the dratted things, though it might have been that I was just preparing a nice fine seed bed for new arrivals.

You can propagate them easily enough from the myriad seeds which burst from the heads. When the head starts to open for the second time, after the flower has faded, the seeds are ripe.

Carry one home, take off the feathery floaters so you don't become the least popular man for miles, spread the seeds in the area you want to infest, and stand back.

When the flowers start to fade, cut them off and burn them, for your safety and enjoyment. Save seeds by covering one or two fading flowers with a paper bag tied around the stem, so the floaters can't escape.

[acstoon]

Thank you SO much for the info!

[Jerry]

The plants are all over the place here in Amelia.

[acstoon]

I've never (knowingly) seen them, around these parts.
It just astounded me, merrily going about our evening walk, and suddenly being confronted with a field of them.

I'm easily amused...
LOL