Ornamental Cabbage (Brassica Oleracea)

Ornamental cabbages and kales are grown primarily as foliage plants for their intensely colored leaves rather than as vegetables. Ornamental plants were developed for ornamental use without regard to taste. Ornamental cabbage typically develops large rosettes of broad flat leaves and ornamental kale typically develops curly, ruffled leaves in a tight rosette. Leaf colors are usually quite showy, including white/cream, pink, rose, red and purple.

Ornamental cabbage and kale are the same species as edible cabbages, broccoli, and cauliflower (Brassica oleracea) but have much fancier and more colorful foliage than their cousins from the vegetable garden. While these plants are sometimes offered as “flowering” cabbage and kale, they are grown for their large rosettes of colorful leaves, not the flowers. These plants are very showy and come in a variety of colors, ranging from white to pinks, purples or reds. Even though they are technically all kales (kale does not produce a head; instead, it produces leaves in a tight rosette), by convention those types with deeply-cut, curly, frilly or ruffled leaves are called ornamental kale, while the ones with broad, flat leaves often edged in a contrasting color are called ornamental cabbage. The plants grow about a foot wide and 15” tall.