Flower gardens tend to look a little dull at this time of the year. But there are some plants that thrive once your summer annuals pass their best. Ornamental kale - an annual grown for its pretty waved leaves and bright winter colours - is the perfect plant to insert some liveliness into your garden right now.

 

Ornamental kale grows in large, low rosettes, like prizes in your garden. It’s a compact plant that closely resembles a cabbage. While you can eat it, it’s mostly grown for its colourful leaves. But if you’re really keen on tasting it, you’ll find ornamental kale has a very bitter taste.

What I like about this type of kale is that it’s bold, striking and, (best of all) requires little care in your garden. And, once established this fun kale can deliver a good few months of colour to your winter garden.

There are a variety of ornamental kales around. Most have symmetrical green outer leaves and purple rosey or creamy white centres. Some have wider cabbage-like leaves, others tight frilly edges - similar to endive lettuce. The most popular type is pigeon kale. It comes in both purple and white varieties, and has a true rosette appearance.

Ideal for garden pots, borders and edging, you might have seen ornamental kale before in large beds of town gardens or in the middle of traffic islands. When you plant ornamental kale seedlings on mass (about 20cm apart) they develop a lovely packed-in feel – really carpeting a garden.

You can grab your ornamental kale seedlings from Awapuni Nurseries online shop and have them delivered directly to your door. We ship nationwide - even to the Chathams and Great Barrier. And, if you’re not completely happy with your plants we will replace them.

Once you’ve got your seedlings, find a sunny well-drained spot in your garden. Dig holes around 5cm deep, 20cm apart and gently place the seedlings in. Lightly massage the root systems to loosen them up. If you’re not sure what to plant alongside your kale, ornamental grasses (carex) are an ideal easy-care companion.

The more sun your kale gets, the brighter colours you’ll be rewarded with. But don’t think about planting them out too early. Ornamental kale is a true winter plant that needs the cooler night temperatures to thrive.

Once planted, give an initial feed of liquid fertiliser. But after this, just stick to water. Too much fertiliser can cause the plant to grow an elongated stem under the rosette, which will detract from its pretty, compact appearance.

In around six weeks you’ll start to see colourful kale developing in your garden beds. Happy gardening.