Flower of the Week: Ornamental Cabbage and Kale

Ornamental cabbage and kale are in the same species—Brassica oleracea—as edible cabbages and kale.

This flower of thew week post was submitted by Maggie Wiles of Greenstreet Gardens. 

There are many varieties grown mainly for their ornamental leaves, which are brilliant white, red, pink, lavender, blue or violet in the interior of the rosette. They are the result of hybridizing and, although they are still edible, they aren’t as tasty and tender as their cousins.Although sometimes referred to as flowering cabbages, it’s the leaves that give the plants their color and interest as ornamentals.

Plants with serrated or fringed leaf margins are considered the flowering kales, which are further divided into the "fringed leaved cultivars" (those with ruffled leaves) and the "feather leaved cultivars" (those with more finely serrated leaves).

As with all Brassicas, ornamental cabbages and kales prefer to be grown in cool weather. If you choose to start you cabbage from seed, sow seeds three to four months before you need full sized plants and at least six to 10 weeks before a frost is expected. Although you can plant them out at anytime, the colorful pigmentation doesn't develop until after frost or prolonged cold weather.

Ornamental cabbages and kale can last throughout the winter, but their appearance depends a lot on the weather. Ornamental cabbage and kale look especially good in a large planting, where their color really stands out. If you only want one or two plants, they look less out of place in containers, than they do scattered throughout a garden. In fact, they make nice, long lasting replacement plants for spent summer containers. Since they are low growers, you’ll often see them as edging plants, where their purplish hues blend in well with other fall colors.

The large plants cover a lot of space quickly for a small investment, and require very little maintenance. The colorful foliage also makes a beautiful backdrop for flowering plants such as pansies, violas and tulips.