It’s tough to beat cabbage when it comes to cool weather color for your flower garden. Ornamental cabbages are one of the last spots of fresh color in the landscape in late autumn.

Ornamental cabbage grows best in cooler climates. The cooler temperatures in autumn bring out the beautiful colors. It grows best in full sun. And,

Shady or partially shady locations will cause ornamental cabbage to become tall, leggy, and unattractive. Low-growing ornamental cabbage that’s full and widespread is by far the most attractive.

One of the primary advantages of ornamental cabbage is that when other plants in the garden may be dormant or dying off, ornamental cabbage can be bright and vibrant.

Another great feature of this plant is that its colors become more intense after the first few hard frosts.  In the more temperate areas, it will retain the color all the way until spring.

Some gardeners in the colder areas dig the plants and use them as very decorative houseplants through the holiday season.  Inside, they require bright light and moist soil.

Ornamental Cabbages and Kales are very similar in appearance.  Both can have ruffled or frilly leaves. They can be differentiated in that the cabbages don’t form as tight a head. The Cabbage has solid colored leaves that are not as ruffled as the Kales.

The leaves are usually edged on the outsides in a contrasting color.  The Cabbages and Kales grouped together work very well in the landscape, and can be mixed or used separately for an equally beautiful effect.

One interesting fact to remember when buying these plants from a nursery is that once they become root-bound, they will not increase in size. Even when transplanted into a larger pot or into the garden they’ll remain in the same size.

Plant  them in a sunny location in a moderately moist, rich soil. Bury the stem so the lowest leaves are flush with the soil surface. Keep the plants well watered.

Until it gets cool, the plants won’t have much color. The white, pink, or red pigments really begin to show with frost and cold weather. The plants will get great, vivid colors below 50°F.

For container plantings, few arrangements are as easy or as attractive for the fall patio or deck as a pot centered with an Ornamental Cabbage or Kale.

Just ring it around the edges with pansies or violas and you’ll have a wonderful piece of a long-lasting fall display. You can try them with other plants that can tolerate light frosts, such as Swiss chard, snapdragons or petunias.

Flowering kale has unlimited uses in the landscape. It is attractive for borders or can be used very effectively an group plantings of three, five or more plants.

One of the most effective combination plantings I have noticed was a white alyssum border, dwarf blue lobelia as a secondary border and flowering kale in the center or background.

A few years ago, I saw an entire parking strip planted with flowering kale. The display was outstanding and could be seen from two to three blocks away because of the brilliant colors.

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Yours truly for a great garden with trees, flowers, berries and veggies

Polly – Organic Gardener