Flowering Kale
by Kristen Spohr
Instructor: Chiwon Lee
A great plant that has an unusual accent that looks great in your fall gardens is a Flowering Kale. Flowering Kale looks like a cabbage with a center of vibrant dense color. Its dense center can range from purple to pink to white, the colorful center is surrounded by green crispy leaves. Flowering Kale is a great accent to you garden in the fall. Flowering Kale grows best in the sun or part sun in the cooler temperatures of the fall. When deciding which cultivars to grow you have several choices to make your fall garden look spectacular. There are two different types with four different cultivars each. The first step to growing the beautiful flowering kale is to find more information about the Kale plant. It is important to know a little about the and its growing needs such as fertilization,water,sunlight, and insect and disease problems. It is also important to know how to grow the plant.
To enhance you fall and winter gardens think about growing Flowering Kale. It is a foliage with vibrant colors of purple, pink, green, and white. The plant should last from October through April. These plants can last through the rough temperatures of the teens. Flowering Kale is native to the Mediterranean (Winter). When selecting a place to plant Kale it is important to consider almost full sunlight with very fertile organic rich soil. Mulch is also a good after done planting to stabilize the soil. It needs to be kept moist but have good drainage at the same time. It is a good idea to try to keep the soil pH between 5.8-6.5. Nitrogen and potassium are two important fertilizing agents when growing Flowering Kale. The lack of nitrogen will cause the leaves to turn yellow and lose some of the lower leaves (Luczai). Water stress may also cause yellowing of leaves and the loss of leaves so it is very important to keep these plants watered and well drained. Flowering Kale has become very popular in fall gardens because of its long lasting color. The color only gets more vibrant as the temperature decreases, these plants will usually survive until the first snowfall (Luczai). Flowering Kale has several cultivars, they are based on the shapes of their leaves. The two most common are fringed leaved cultivars and feather leaved cultivars. Fringed leaved cultivars have finely ruffled leaf margins. Some cultivars of Fringed leafed include sparrow, chidori, kamone, and naygoya series. The feather leaved cultivars have leaves that are finely serrated and deeply notched. Some of the cultivars include coral queen, coral prince, red peacock, and white peacock (Luczai). Flowering Kale is a beautiful bedding plant along with looking exceptional in pots with their vibrant color varieties. Flowering Kale is a unique plant and is very beautiful for fall gardens.
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Contact: Kristen Spohr
