Flowering kale is right at home in garden-bed plantings, too. Use it as a statement plant near entryways or patios. This frilly, colorful plant will amplify interest in early- and late-season gardens when perennials are slow to emerge in spring, and annuals and perennials are languishing at the end of the growing season in fall. Flowering kale grows slowly, so purchase large plants if you plan to enjoy them for just a few weeks in spring or fall.
Flowering Kale Care Must-Knows
Flowering kale grows best in sunny locations and moist, rich soil. It will tolerate light shade but develops richer color in full sun. When planting flowering kale, sink the plant into the ground so the lower leaves are flush with the soil surface. Keep flowering kale well-watered, delivering an inch or so of water a week. Plants begin to develop their colorful foliage when temperatures dip below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Once acclimated to a site, flowering kale can withstand frost.
More Varieties of Flowering Kale
‘Chidori White’ Kale
Brassica ‘Chidori White’ offers blue-green heads with large, bright creamy-white centers.
‘Glamour Red’ Kale
Brassica oleracea ‘Glamour Red’ is an All-America Selections award-winning ornamental variety with great heat tolerance, intense red-purple coloring, and glossy, frilly leaves. Zones 6-11
‘Peacock Red’ Kale
Brassica ‘Peacock Red’ offers feathery leaves with rich purple-red centers.
‘Pigeon Red’ Kale
Brassica ‘Pigeon Red’ offers purple-tinted leaves with rich purple-red centers.
‘Redbor’ Kale
Brassica ‘Redbor’ offers ruffled leaves in a rich, dark purple shade that mixes well with just about everything.
Flowering Kale Companion Plants
Leadwort
For a fall show, plant leadwort. Its gentian-blue late-season flowers often continue to bloom even as the foliage turns brilliant red-orange in fall, making an outstanding autumn display. This plant is also sometimes called plumbago, but it’s different from shrubby tropical plumbago. Use it as a groundcover that spreads well when in conditions it likes—dry sites in full sun to partial shade.
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums are a must-have for the fall garden. No other late-season flower delivers as much color, for as long and as reliably as good ol’ mums. Beautiful chrysanthemum flowers, available in several colors, bring new life to a garden in the fall. Some varieties have daisy blooms; others may be rounded globes, flat, fringed, quill shape, or spoon shape. They work exceptionally well in container plantings and pots. Learn more about using mums for a fall-flowering garden.
Pansy
From tiny, cheerful Johnny jump-ups to the stunning 3-inch blooms of Majestic Giant pansies, the genus Viola has a spectacular array of delightful plants for the spring garden. They’re must-haves to celebrate the first days of spring since they don’t mind cold weather and can even take a little snow and ice! They’re pretty planted in masses in the ground, but also cherished for the early color they bring to pots, window boxes, and other containers. By summer, pansies bloom less and their foliage starts to brown. It’s at this time that you’ll have to be tough and tear them out and replant with warm-season annuals, such as marigolds or petunias. But that’s part of their charm—they are an ephemeral celebration of spring!
Garden Plans for Flowering Kale
Small-Space Vegetable Garden Plan
Here’s how to add great looks—and tastes—to your landscape with an easy small vegetable garden plan. Click here to get this garden plan!
Spring Vegetable Garden Plan
Enjoy spring’s freshest flavors with this fun and easy garden plan. Download this free plan now.
