Ornamental Kale

Autumn color with ornamental kale

It’s time to start thinking about kale—fall is here and that means winter is right around the corner. We need to lay a foundation of color that will get us through those dreary cold months that are on the horizon, and ornamental kale has the chops to do it. This is a winter survivor that just gets better looking the colder it gets. 

‘Henry III Purple’

Asters are important this time of year for several reasons. First of all, they provide cool weather color that we value as we tick off these crisp days leading to winter. Fall asters expand our palette, offering an alternative to the warm, harvest tones of the season; they provide cool shades of blue, purple, and pink that we simply don’t find in mums. 

This makes for great contrast when we use them along with mums in the landscape. Asters also have a wild, carefree appearance—a far cry from the typical manicured, mounding mum. Using the two together makes for an Oscar and Felix style pairing: it’s an odd couple, but it works.

Now, we’ve been talking a lot lately about pollinators, and you probably figured we’d pick up the topic again in the spring. However, this time of year there are still birds, insects, and other wildlife that are getting ready to migrate or simply make it through the winter. Late blooming flowers like asters provide bees, butterflies, and friends with a necessary energy boost, and in doing so they help keep our ecosystem in balance.

We have the following aster varieties in the 4.5-inch pot: ‘Magic Purple’, ‘Sapphire Mist’, ‘Days Blue’, and ‘Magic Pink’.

Cool blue-purple blooms of ‘Believer’

‘Daydream’ (lavender-blue), ‘Henry III Purple’, ‘Peter III Blue’, ‘Marie III Pink’, and ‘Believer’ (blue-purple) are available in the 8-inch pot.

‘Red Giant’ mustard

‘Red Giant’ mustard is one of the first autumn edibles we crossed over into ornamental territory and it’s still one of our favorites. These beautiful maroon savoy-style leaves have chartreuse undersides for added interest and like kale, the color becomes even more intense as the plant matures.

For dramatic color and texture pair this variety with colorful mums and bright autumn accents; it brings an equal amount of zest to fall salads and stir-fries. If you’re a horseradish fan you’re going to like ‘Red Giant’—it has a similar spicy kick. We use it just like we would spinach or chard.

This beautiful Asian mustard thrives well into the cold season and makes a great container plant, especially when kept on a porch or deck with access to a kitchen. Cutting the leaves to use in recipes only makes the plant more vigorous—almost too good to be true.

Our bold and delicious ‘Red Giant’ mustard comes in the 8-inch pot.