Ornamental Cabbage

[Meadowlark]

Ornamental cabbage puts on a flowerly show all winter here in East Texas. You could eat them, but they have been bred for looks, not flavor. Their leaves have been hybridized to feature purple, rosy, and creamy white colors, making them look more like large flowers than vegetables.

Flowering cabbage and kale are similar in color, appearance and size, but the main difference is that cabbage leaves have smooth edges and kale leaves are frilly. We've been enjoying many heads of the eating cabbage all winter fixed in soups, steamed, and as creole cabbage (delicious)

 

[LouisFerdinand]

I like the purple hues of the Ornamental Cabbage.

 

[Chelsea Frold]

Wow! I had no idea such colors could pop like this! What are your secrets to getting this plant to grow like that??

 

[Meadowlark]

Thanks. No secrets really. I think it does well here because of our mild winters in East Texas. I just pitch some composted stuff in the wheelbarrow and set them out in the fall. They do the rest.

 

[vette-kid]

They sell them at the big box stores here. A neighbor has some around his mailbox a few houses down.

 

[LouisFerdinand]

Has any of the Ornamental Cabbage ever grown back a second year from the original planting?

 

[Meadowlark]

No, our summers in East Texas are too hot and too humid for cool weather plants.