KALE AND FLOWER KALE: ORNAMENTAL FOOD PLANTS

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FLOWER KALE AND FLOWER CABBAGE

The leaves of flower kale varieties (which are also edible) can range shape from plain cabbagelike fronds to frilly foliage. These ornamentals form tight clusters up to 1 foot tall and 2 feet wide. The outer leaves range in color from gray green to blue green, overlaid with creamy white, pink, purple, or deep rose. The most intense colors be found toward the center of each plant ... with bright veins running through the outermost leaves. The colorful kales are strikwhen set against a somber background of evergreen bushes and gray walls. And for the four-season garden, asters, chrysanthemums, leeks, cabbage, and kale make attractive frost-hardy companions.

If you're concerned about having very uniform beds, plant a double row to disguise the irregularities of size and shape common to flower kale. Or sow the seed in an inconspicuous area, and later transplant the best specimens to a prominent place for fall and/or winter display.

The best time to start flowering kale will vary with regional summer weather conditions. In cool climates, spring-planted kale will last into the fall. In warmer areas, however, it may be best to sow the seed in midsummer... to avoid the plants' bolting, but still allow them enough time to reach a good size by autumn. Many flower kale varieties will remain undamaged down to about 20°F ... and as the weather cools, their leaf colors typically become even more intense.

It's fairly easy to find both flower kale and flower cabbage seeds listed in seed catalogs. In general, you'll discover that seeds labeled "flower kale" will produce plants with frilly foliage, while "flower cabbage" seeds tend to become plants with plainer leaves. It's rare, though, to find a specific variety of one color and form offered by American firms (they usually sell mixed seeds), but Japanese companies often list packets containing a single variety.

Only two of these Oriental types — Feather-Leaved Coral Queen and Feather-Leaved Coral Prince — are currently available in the United States. Both have deeply cut leaves that form broad, flat-topped rosettes and are fairly uniform in size. Coral Queen plants are rose purple and blue gray, while Coral Prince will be white and blue gray. The growth pattern of these two varieties is a little different from that of other kales: When they're mass-planted, their response to crowding is not to stay small, but — instead — to angle themselves outward to make room for one another.

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