Let’s talk cabbage! As the Walrus said in Lewis Carroll’s famous poem, “The Walrus and the Carpenter”:
To talk of many things:
Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—
Of cabbages—and kings—
I want to talk about ornamental cabbage and kale, the colorful leafy sentinels of fall gardens. Although they are foliage plants and in the same plant family as broccoli and Brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale rival flowers for their colorful beauty and form in the fall. The term ornamental cabbage refers to varieties with broad, unruffled leaves. The bottom half of their foliage remains green, while the rosettes in the center turn bright purple, pink, or white. The overall effect resembles a huge blossom. Ornamental kale is similar except that the leaves are wavy-edged, deeply ruffled, or curly. They provide a fall finale of color to any setting! Ornamental cabbage and kale are both grown as annuals and are very cold hardy.
Technically, ornamental cabbage and kale are both kales, since they do not form heads. And, although edible, ornamental cabbage and kale leaves are bitter and are best grown for the elegant foliage. They do not require a lot of care—no pinching, pruning, or staking. All they need is the cool weather of spring or fall to develop their best color. As night temperatures drop below 50 degrees, the leaf color darkens and intensifies. This is why ornamental cabbage and kale add such a vibrant punch to cool season flower beds and planters.
You can buy small plants of ornamental cabbage and kale. Simply place them where their colorful foliage can be admired, such as the front of a border or in planters. You can group them together for impact, but they are also quite impressive when used singly next to fall perennials, such as dark-leaved sedums (Sedum spp.) or annual love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus) or chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum spp.). Or you can plant one large, blossom-like ornamental cabbage or kale in a small flowerpot alone—it makes a happy sight by the front door.