Photo by Judith Rogers What could be more tantalizing than a meal prepared with a garnish as pretty as a peacock? Ornamental cabbage and kale, although edible, are more bitter than the common varieties, but do make a colourful substitute for parsley. Anyone that is familiar with the Globe Restaurant in Rosemont will know how imaginatively the chefs use flowering kale to create a plate that takes your Grey Cup breath away.

A more popular use with these ornamentals that are part of the brassica family is to plant them in the fall for some vibrant colour and interest in the garden. Grown for their leaves, the plants come in a range of colours of whites, pinks, purples and reds that will intensify with frost and cold weather below 10 C.

Basically, these ornamentals are all considered kale, but are divided into two groups according to the shape of the leaf. The varieties that have smooth leaves are known as flowering cabbages and those with fringed leaves are kale. Kale is subdivided

again from fringed leaves to include the feather Cup party Ornamental kale. variety.

A well known variety with fringed leaves is the ‘Nagoly’ series, which is

round with heavily crinkled leaves and a tight rosette in party has the centre that can be fuchsia pink, lavender, yellow green or white. The ‘Peacock’ series is, of course, named after the famous beautiful bird and these compact hybrids have deeply serrated feathery red or white leaves.

Starting ornamental cabbage and kale from seed should be done mid-summer about six to 10 weeks before the first frost, and the seedlings need to be kept cool as they do not tolerate summer heat. An alternative is to buy plants already established at a garden centre, and since the roots will likely be pot bound, they will not grow any bigger. So the size desired should be chosen then.

Once the temperature starts to drop, plant the ornamentals in moist soil in a sunny location. Bury the stem until the bottom leaves are even with the surface, and keep them watered in. These plants are great for replacing annuals that are spent by the end of summer, and they look good in mass plantings, mixed borders, as edgings and in containers.

Normally, cabbages will be threatened by worms, cutworms, aphids and slugs. But since the ornamental’s growing season is cooler, many of these pests will not be as much a concern as they are in warmer weather.

Because ornamental cabbages and kale are so colourful and long lasting, they make good partners to late season grasses and tall sedums that will remain attractive for quite some time.

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