Ornamental Kale has been bred for its beautiful leafy rosettes, not for taste.
The ornamental part of its name signals that you could eat it but it’s going to taste terrible.
This plant is great late season as it with stands the cooler temperatures and light frosts. The color also usually intensifies with the cooler night temperatures that come with our fall season.
Kale Loves to Soak Up the Sun
This annual is great planted in the ground or in containers in full sun as the sunlight brings on the best color. You can plant them in the spring and watch them grow all season or add them for a wonderful pop of color in the fall.
Loved by the Pests
Being a member of the brassica family AKA cabbage/kale family, they’re prone to the lovely cabbage looper and other pests that love to eat the leaves. If you see little “butterflies” flying around your kale, it won’t be long before the tiny green worms feast their way through your plant. Thankfully they’re very easy to get rid of with an insecticide!
Check Out Our Ornamental Kale Varieties
We have a great selection of ornamental kale. Stop in to see these leafy beauties.
We featured Ornamental Kale on the Wednesday WTF (What The Flower) post on Facebook on September 19.