In summer the garden is practically overflowing with colorful blooming plants, but in autumn the color slowly fades away. Now is the time for ornamental cabbage (bot. Brassica), which conjures up a few splashes of color in the garden bed with its white, pink or red-violet curly leaves. The pretty drawings shine most beautifully at temperatures of less than ten degrees Celsius. If you don't have a garden, plant the different types of Brassica in a pot on the balcony or terrace.
What is ornamental cabbage and how do I care for it?
Ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea) is a decorative plant that impresses with striking rosette-shaped leaves in white, pink or purple in autumn and winter. Ideal for beds, balconies and terraces, it prefers sunny locations and nutrient-rich, calcareous soils.
Origin and distribution
The ornamental cabbage (bot. Brassica oleracea) is a popular cabbage plant from the cruciferous family (bot. Brassicaceae), which is closely related to the edible kale. There are numerous ornamental forms that adorn flower beds, balconies and vases, especially because of their colorful leaf decorations. The original form of this unusual type of cabbage comes from the Western European Atlantic coast, although most cultivars are now bred in Japan and other Asian countries.
Usage
Ornamental cabbage is an unusual ornamental foliage plant in beds and pots. The rosette-like growth and the unique coloring attract everyone's attention and can be combined particularly well with tall, slender summer and autumn flowers or perennials - the striking contrast creates a beautiful contrast. Impressive pictures can also be created if you place the ornamental cabbage in groups in the flower bed - for example as a foreground or frame plant. In a bowl or vase, the plant has a particularly long shelf life as long as the water is changed daily. Since the colors of the plant only become apparent at autumn temperatures of less than ten degrees Celsius, the cabbage plant has established itself primarily as an autumn decoration (€2.00 on Amazon).
Appearance and growth
Most varieties of ornamental cabbage form a basal leaf rosette that can be up to 50 centimeters high and just as wide. However, some varieties also develop a stem. The color and shape of the leaves vary depending on the cultivar.
leaves
Ornamental kale is cultivated because of the strikingly colored rosette of leaves inside, the color of which ranges from creamy white to shades of yellow to pink, red or even violet. In contrast, the outer leaves are usually dark to blue-green. The strong colors only appear when the temperatures drop in late autumn or winter, which is why you can only cut the ornamental cabbage at this time as a decorative element for the home or for the vase. Depending on the variety, the leaf edges are either slit or entire, the leaves are smooth or curled.
Flowers, flowering time and fruits
If you leave the ornamental cabbage in the bed after the winter, the biennial species produces yellow flowers between May and June, which grow on long stems above the leaves. The pod fruits that are characteristic of cruciferous vegetables then develop from this. However, due to its lack of winter hardiness, ornamental cabbage is usually only cultivated as an annual.
Toxicity
In contrast to other ornamental vegetables (such as ornamental pumpkin), ornamental cabbage is not poisonous and is actually edible. However, the different varieties are selected based on their appearance and not their taste, which is why consumption is not recommended. The aroma of the ornamental cabbage is quite unpleasantly bitter, and the beautiful leaf colors are lost during heating and take on an unsightly gray color.
Which location is suitable?
In order for the beautiful leaf colors to develop, the ornamental cabbage needs a location with as much sun and protection as possible.
Soil / Substrate
Like vegetable cabbage, ornamental cabbage thrives best in nutrient-rich, humus-rich and calcareous soil, which at best contains a proportion of clay. A neutral pH value is ideal, but the plants also tolerate slightly acidic or slightly alkaline substrates. Furthermore, the soil should be well-drained so that waterlogging does not occur in the first place - which is why good drainage is essential for plants grown in pots.
Planting ornamental kale correctly
If you want to plant ornamental cabbage in your garden, you can either buy the young plants you need from stores or grow them yourself from seeds. Plant them out as soon as they have developed at least five to seven leaves, but no earlier than August. Planting out late is important because the temperatures during the growth phase should be below 20 degrees Celsius if possible for the leaf colors to develop. However, ornamental cabbage is not suitable for indoor cultivation because it is simply too warm in the apartment. When planting in the bed, maintain a planting distance of approx. 20 to 25 centimeters.
Like other cabbage plants, ornamental cabbage also has a high nutrient requirement, which is why you should improve the excavation of the planting hole with manure or mature compost. If the pH value of the soil is too acidic, raise it with appropriate liming. Also pay attention to crop rotation, because where cabbage or another cruciferous vegetable has already grown, such a crop may no longer be planted for at least three years - this of course also applies to ornamental cabbage. Therefore, change the location every year.
Good neighbors / Bad neighbors
You can also follow the recommendations for vegetable cabbage and, if possible, cultivate the ornamental cabbage together with endive, beans, peas, tomatoes, potatoes, celery, spinach or dill. However, direct proximity to strawberries and various Allium species (such as onions and garlic, but also ornamental garlic!) is not recommended.
Watering ornamental cabbage
Ornamental kale not only has a high nutrient requirement, but also a high water requirement and should therefore be watered regularly for he althy growth. Always let the soil dry out a little between each watering, but never dry out completely: In this case, so-called flea beetles quickly settle in and practically eat up the ornamental cabbage.
Fertilize ornamental cabbage properly
As a heavy feeder, ornamental cabbage should be fertilized regularly during the growing season with a low-dose liquid fertilizer, which you should administer every four weeks until around the end of August. From this point on, reduce the amount of fertilizer and, above all, make sure to use a potassium-based fertilizer: Nitrogen-based fertilization, on the other hand, has a negative influence on the subsequent leaf color.
What to do if the leaves turn yellow?
Leaves turning yellow and then falling off are common - but not always! – a sign of a lack of fertilization. Until around the end of August, fertilization should be more nitrogen-focused, then low-nitrogen with an emphasis on potassium - and gradually tapered off.
Propagate ornamental cabbage
Ornamental kale is quite easy to grow yourself by sowing, although collecting your own seeds is rarely possible - in many cases the plants do not survive a Central European winter at all or do not produce any flowers the following spring. You should therefore purchase the seeds from specialist retailers and train them into small plants as follows:
- Date for sowing: not before the end of May
- Sowing possible until mid-July
- Spread seeds in a seedbed, greenhouse or sowing container
- cover lightly with soil
- Keep soil moist at all times
- Seeds germinate within one to three weeks at temperatures between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius
- Separation of the seedlings as soon as they have formed one or two leaves
- Now plant in separate pots in loose, humus-rich substrate
- Plant out in the garden bed only as soon as there are at least five leaves
Wintering
As a rule, ornamental cabbage is not overwintered, but only cultivated as an annual. Although the bright colors of the plant appear more magnificent the cooler it is, the plant can only tolerate temperatures down to around minus eight degrees Celsius. If the thermometer falls significantly below this, the plants will inevitably die - even if you protect them with a cover. In spring, simply pull the dead cabbages out of the ground and dispose of them in the compost. If you want to get the ornamental cabbage to bloom, you should overwinter it in a frost-free and bright place. In this way, with a bit of luck, you can get your own seeds.
Diseases and pests
Typical cabbage pests such as flea beetles, cabbage flies (a variant of the whitefly) or the cabbage white butterfly unfortunately do not stop at ornamental cabbage.
- Cabbage fly: numerous white flies on cabbage, leaf damage, countermeasures: removing diseased leaves, spraying with tansy broth, establishing natural enemies (hoverflies, lacewing larvae)
- Flea beetles: appear through sieve-like perforated leaves, dust affected plants with rock dust
- Aphids: spray infected plants with nettle or tobacco decoction, establish natural enemies (lacewings and hoverflies, parasitic wasps, ladybirds)
- Cabbage white butterfly: attacks ornamental cabbage that is planted several times in a row in the same location. To prevent this, change the location in the garden every year or cultivate ornamental cabbage in a pot
Tip
Tall-stemmed ornamental cabbage varieties can also be used very well for extravagant bouquets.
Species and varieties
There are numerous different varieties of ornamental cabbage on the market that impress with their variety. Many of them come from Japan, of which variety names such as 'Tokyo' (red center, smooth leaf edges), 'Nagoya' (white and red center, strongly wavy and / or curled leaves), 'Osaka' (white, pink and red center)., slightly curled / wavy leaves) or 'Hatsuyume' (very long-stemmed, white color with a delicate pink center).
In addition to the popular and proven Japanese varieties, there are a number of newer F1 hybrid breeds that stand out due to their visual peculiarities:
- ‘Attraction’: white inner leaves, smooth leaf edge
- ‘Coral Prince’: white center and heavily slit leaves
- ‘Coral Queen’: red colored center and heavily slit leaves
- ‘King Red’: red-purple inner leaves, smooth leaf edges
- 'Peacock': burgundy and white center as well as long, serrated and slit leaves
- 'Redbor': purple-red center, curled leaves
- 'Rose Bouquet': strong red center and smooth leaf edges
- 'Sunrise': well suited for the vase because of its long stem and creamy white inner leaves
- ‘Sunset’: pink-purple inner leaves, long stem
- ‘White Crane’: long-stemmed variety, white base color with soft pink inner leaves
- ‘White Lady’: distinctive white center and curled leaves
The two subspecies Brassica oleracea var. sabelllica (tall or curled ornamental cabbage) and Brassica oleracea var. acephala (colored ornamental cabbage) can also be planted very well in flower borders.
