It's a fairly flavorless root vegetable that's an invasive exotic and whose seed pods were the inspiration for Velcro. So why would anyone want to grow burdock in their garden?
That's a very good question, and one I struggle with every year. I never plant burdock. It comes up on its own in the yard. But I've always found the plant to be quite attractive, with its enormous leaves and its thistle-like flowers.
I tried to justify keeping it by claiming that the edible root was a delicacy. That claim didn't exactly hold up after I harvested some a few years ago. It tastes like horseradish without the sharpness.
Burdock was cultivated as a root vegetable by Europeans, who brought it to North America in the 17th century. It is now naturalized throughout the continent, in the way that Queen Anne's Lace has also taken over to the point that most folks think the plant is native.
The vegetable has fallen out of favor in Western cooking but is still used in Asian cuisine. In my garden, however, it is strictly an ornamental, if I keep it at all.