Decorative cabbage flower name. Ornamental cabbage: photo, planting, growing and care
Along with the usual and familiar vegetable to every summer resident, known as cabbage, there is also its relative, which is less familiar - ornamental cabbage. Aesthetically it is more attractive! This particular species is very popular among gardeners and florists. And this is true, because growing the plant does not require a huge amount of effort and time, and it looks nice thanks to the huge flowers of different colors. Moreover, the plant is not afraid of cold weather, so it can decorate a personal plot for quite a long time, right up to frost.
A little history
The historical roots of ornamental cabbage stretch back to the times of Ancient Greece. It was in this corner of our planet that at that time they were already growing this amazing plant. It was also known on the Balkan Peninsula, where there was a special attitude towards it, since there was a belief that drops of sweat from the god Jupiter served as a stimulus for its growth.
Later, the whole of Europe learned about the marvelous cabbage. A significant contribution was made by the distant country of Japan, where breeders worked hard to develop new varieties. Ultimately, by the mid-18th century, more than ten different varieties of the plant had been developed. Wealthy estate owners could use it as decoration for their rich estates.
As for Russian residents, they are practical people, and therefore they preferred to grow ordinary cabbage, white cabbage, rather than ornamental cabbage.
Description
Ornamental cabbage is a member of the Cabbage genus. According to the Latin translation, it is also called curly cabbage. This type of cabbage grows for about two years and can grow up to one meter in length. The roots have a rod system and a low stem. Unlike their “sister” - cabbage - they do not adhere closely to the base, but in the form of a large and beautiful flower are collected in a basal rosette. The unusual appearance of the plant is created by the leaves, from which the entire plant actually consists. They can be of different sizes, shapes and, of course, colors.
Ornamental cabbage in the garden If we talk about the shape of the leaves, they can be very different: semi-oval, oval, egg-shaped. The cabbage leaves seem to be cut along the perimeter, which is why they appear lacy, and the whole vegetable as a whole looks unusual and very similar to rosebuds. The color range of the leaf blade is usually cool shades: light green, gray-green, bluish-green, purple, pink, etc.
Cabbage flower, as already mentioned, is a frost-resistant plant species. By mid-summer it reaches the peak of its brightest color and retains it until late autumn.
If you want to enjoy the beauty of this plant for another year, then you can dig it up, store it under certain conditions favorable for cabbage, and plant it again when spring comes.
A very successful alternative for novice flower growers: it is not capricious in care and cultivation, and in appearance it is more attractive than some other ornamental crops.
Variety of varieties
Today, considerable success has been achieved in the development of new varieties. The variety of this so-called flower is so great that even the most demanding gardener will be able to find something to suit his taste. Varieties of ornamental cabbage differ not only in their bright, sometimes even completely unexpected, color, but also in the shape of the leaves, the size of the plant and its height.
Variety of varieties of ornamental cabbage "Nagoya White"
This variety belongs to hybrids and looks very unusual. Looking at the leaves, it seems as if lace was crocheted along their edges, doing this specifically to decorate the plant. The leaves are pale white in the center and green on the outside. The height of cabbage is up to half a meter, and its width can be the same size, or even larger. This variety has a relative with a pink center and is called “Nagoya Red”.
"Nagoya White" "Dove Victoria"
This variety is also not particularly tall - 35 cm flower maximum. The leaf plate is quite dense and has a wavy shape. The color changes as it approaches the center: from green along the edge, then milky and pink closer to the middle. The hybrid was bred by Japanese breeders.
"Dove Victoria" "Peacock"
A short plant with a pink center and dark purple leaves at the edges, similar to a peacock's tail, hence the name.
"Peacock" "Heron"
Compared to other varieties, this representative is quite tall and can reach one meter in height. When in bloom, it is very similar to rose buds. They come in a variety of colors ranging from white, pink, red and two-tone combinations. Often used for making bouquets.
"Heron" "Tokyo"
A small plant about 30 cm tall. It has a bright pink color, turning into a rich green color along the edge. The leaves are semicircular, wavy at the end.
"Tokyo" "Red curly cabbage"
This variety can be of two types: “red curly high” and “red curly low”. Accordingly, the first one reaches 130 cm in height, the other - up to 60 cm. In appearance, the plant is very similar to a fountain. It has foliage growing on long petioles and curly. They come in green or dark purple.
"Red Curly" Of course, it is better to see once than to hear or read a hundred times. And although it is not always possible to see this decorative culture live, the photos presented will help you enjoy the unusual beauty.
First you need to prepare the ground. Most gardeners agree that the technology for breeding an ornamental representative is not much different from growing ordinary white cabbage. The most important thing is to remember that the plant will give the desired harvest only when planted in loamy or sandy loam soil. By the way, the soil can be prepared in the fall by fertilizing well in advance. If the soil is highly acidic, there is a need to normalize it with lime. When spring arrives, the planting area must be loosened and leveled. There is an opinion that curly cabbage will give good results if it is planted where potatoes, onions, cucumbers and root vegetables were harvested in the past.
Growing ornamental cabbage Planting cabbage from seeds
It is better to sow the so-called flower in mid-spring. Place 2 seeds in small containers with a diameter of no more than 5 cm and lightly press them into the soil, which had to be treated with a fungicide in advance to prevent disease in the young plant. The optimal temperature for the appearance of the first shoots is approximately +20 ºC.
The most common way to propagate a plant is to grow it using seedlings, which can be sown either in small containers or under film in greenhouses, or directly into open ground.
If the basic conditions are met, the first shoots can be expected to appear within 2-5 days. After the first seedlings appear, you can move the young seedlings to a place where the temperature is slightly lower. Now we should not forget about constant moderate watering. As soon as the appearance of another leaf becomes obvious, a light feeding becomes necessary. And when the plant already has 4-5 leaves, this is evidence that the plant is ready to be planted in open ground. In this case, there is no need to plant the plant immediately in a flowerbed, since it will reach full flowering by autumn, so you can temporarily grow it in the garden.
Sowing in greenhouse conditions
Before sowing seedlings in greenhouses, it is necessary to prepare a substrate in advance, which includes sand, peat and soil from the site. The thickness of the layer of prepared soil must be at least 10 cm; the soil must first be disinfected and treated to avoid fungal diseases. Place 2 seeds in small holes made in advance and sprinkle them with soil. Crops can be covered with polyethylene to obtain the required temperature conditions. When the first shoots appear, the temperature can be lowered from 20 ºC to 12 ºC. Maintenance will include sufficient moisture and loosening of the soil. The growth of more than two leaves indicates the plant’s readiness to take its place in open ground.
Greenhouse seedlings of ornamental cabbage Sowing in open ground
The best time for sowing is at the beginning of the month of April, if weather conditions are favorable. At first, the seedling can be covered with film.
The seeds are planted in loose soil to a depth of one and a half centimeters, according to the principle of 5x5 cm. Later, when the first sprouts appear, the cabbage must be thinned out, and then, when caring for it, water it moderately, get rid of weeds and loosen the soil. After about a month, young seedlings can be planted in a permanent place.
Decorative cabbage planting It's no secret that proper timely care is the key to success. And although the plant is not particularly whimsical, nevertheless, this part of cultivation should not be ignored. Moreover, caring for ornamental cabbage does not require painstaking effort. The basic requirements are regular, abundant moisture, loosening the soil, and ridding the plant of harmful weeds. Due to the unusual structure of the plant (volumetric rosette), the crop requires hilling, which will help strengthen the root system and increase its stability. The plant will not need additional fertilizer if the soil has been properly prepared before planting. If not, then you can feed it even when the cabbage is planted in a permanent place, about 15 days after. Next time you can fertilize after two weeks. The solution and dosage can be used the same as for planting.
Planting and caring for ornamental cabbage (video)
Pest Prevention
Common cabbage pests do not disdain its decorative representative. The methods of dealing with them are similar to those used when growing common cabbage. The main thing is to carry out a thorough inspection in time to identify caterpillars and immediately rid the foliage of them.
The soil can be sprinkled with ash or pine needles, which will serve as good protection against slugs.
After precipitation, the plant requires mandatory treatment with a superphosphate solution.
Application
At the moment, ornamental cabbage is inferior in popularity to many flower crops. But we can say with confidence that this phenomenon is temporary, since its unpretentiousness in care and cultivation, as well as flowering and a beautiful fresh appearance until late autumn, are advantageous conditions, making it the primary plant in any autumn flower bed. Ornamental cabbage is used in landscape design both independently and in combination with many other flowers. And for long-lasting flowering, it can be transplanted into some container and transferred to home conditions.
Ornamental cabbage can be eaten. Although its taste is somewhat different from the usual variety of cabbage, due to the presence of bitterness. However, this problem can be solved by freezing the leaves before cooking.
Nevertheless, most will agree that everything has its place: ornamental cabbage in the flowerbed, and white cabbage in salads!
Ornamental cabbage is a unique plant for many reasons. The rosettes of leaves look modest and even inconspicuous for the first two months after germination. However, in the fall, when everything in the garden has withered, they turn into luxurious and bright flowers that are not afraid of frost. For the winter, the bush can be dug up and planted in a pot. The next season it will throw out an arrow with a beautiful flower at the top. In addition, the leaves of ornamental cabbage are edible and can decorate a holiday table. At the same time, the plant is easy to grow and does not require complex care.
Types of ornamental cabbage
Ornamental cabbage is the queen of the autumn garden. It will attract and delight the eye in September - October, when almost all crops have finished their growing season. The plant tolerates temperatures down to -8 ⁰C. And the variety of types and varieties gives you room for imagination. You can create flower beds, geometric shapes, pyramids, or randomly place large single bushes throughout the garden. There are compact forms that can grow in flower pots.
Compact ornamental cabbage grows well in pots
On sale you can find cabbages that look like huge roses or peonies, with carved or curly leaves. One rosette can be painted in 2-3 colors. Moreover, the color range is not limited in any way. There are ornamental cabbages with red, pink, burgundy, white, purple, blue, yellow and, of course, green leaves. Rosettes of leaves look elegant, on which bright strokes are applied as if by chance against a light background.
Ornamental cabbage is not inferior in beauty to roses and tulips
Before you go to the store for seeds, decide for yourself what kind of ornamental cabbage you need:
- growing as a tall bush (from 50 cm) with a flower at the top;
- short, with a squat rosette;
- large or compact;
- with openwork, wavy or solid and even leaves;
- yellow, red, blue shades or two or three colors.
For those who cannot decide, they sell variety mixtures of ornamental cabbage.
Video: what types of ornamental cabbage are, cultural features
Varieties of ornamental cabbage
Breeders from all continents are working on the creation of varieties and hybrids. Since the early 2000s, 12 varieties of domestic origin have been included in the Russian plant register. But the most popular are Dutch and Japanese hybrids. In the catalog of a large seed store you can count at least 50 varieties of ornamental cabbage. Almost all of them are mid-season; 120–130 days pass from sowing to the formation of a beautiful rosette.
Princess
This is a compact cabbage of the cabbage type. The leaves are corrugated and form a very dense rosette in the shape of a flower. Plant height no more than 35 cm, decorative from August to frost. The peculiarity of the variety is bicolor leaves: the outermost ones are green, and in the center of the rosette a green border contrasts with the main color, which can be white, yellow, pink, red or purple. In one bag they sell a mixture of seeds of the same cabbage variety, but of different colors.
Princess cabbage has colored leaves decorated with a green border.
Prince
The princess will be lonely in the garden without the Prince. The hybrid lives up to its name and is one of the most expressive among ornamental cabbages. An elegant rosette of serrated leaves forms on a thick and strong stem. Thanks to this shape, moisture does not retain on the leaves. This means that the Prince is not only, like all cabbages, resistant to cold, but also not affected by rot. The height of the bush is up to 30 cm. In summer the leaves are white-green, and in autumn at low temperatures they become bright red.
Prince cabbage consists of lacy leaves that look like feathers
Bright autumn
Cabbage is very similar in color and leaf shape to the Princess, but is even more compact: height - up to 20 cm, rosette diameter - 30 cm. It tolerates transplanting well. You can grow it in a secluded corner of the garden in the summer, and move it to a prominent place in the fall. Suitable for growing in pots.
The leaves of the cabbage Bright Autumn in the center of the rosette are colored yellow, pink, red and framed by a green border
Tokyo
Another compact ornamental cabbage (20–30 cm), striking in its beauty. Within one leaf, the color intensity can vary, for example, from pink to burgundy. Within the variety there is a wide color palette. By purchasing one packet of seeds, you can grow bushes with rosettes in yellow, red, bluish-green, pink-red, and purple shades. The leaves are gracefully cut and curled along the edges and have a bubbly or wavy surface.
Tokyo cabbage produces compact, brightly colored heads
This ornamental vegetable does not grow more than 20 cm in height. It is of the leaf type, so the rosette is loose, but this makes it look even more beautiful, like a bright, fancy flower. The head is round, flattened, green at the edges, and in the center it can be colored in different tones of yellow and red. The leaves are smooth with wavy edges.
Cabbage Autumn potpourri is colored in the main shades of autumn: yellow and red
Fringed-leaved
Cabbage forms a medium-sized rosette - up to 40 cm. From the name it is clear that all the beauty of this variety is concentrated in the shape of the leaves. They differ from ordinary cabbage plants: elongated and pointed. The edges are cut in the form of a fringe. The color of the outer leaves is green with crimson veins, and the center of the head is crimson.
Fringed cabbage lives up to its name by the appearance of its leaves.
Lace mosaic
The variety differs from the previous ones in its large size. Grows up to 60 cm in height. The leaves are curly with corrugated edges, monochromatic, the outer ones are green, and in the center of the rosette they are colored in yellow, blue or red shades, often interspersed with contrasting colors. The head resembles a giant peony flower.
Cabbage Lace mosaic forms large rosettes, the leaves are covered with a two-color mosaic pattern
Kai and Gerda
This cabbage, like the characters from the fairy tale “The Snow Queen,” is not afraid of frost. Withstands temperatures down to -15 ⁰C without loss! The bushes grow tall - 60–70 cm, and consist of fancy corrugated leaves of green or purple color. Kai and Gerda will not only decorate your garden, but will also supply the table with juicy greens for salads, soups, side dishes and other dishes until winter.
Cabbage Kai and Gerda: green and purple colors look good together
Sunrise
This recently appeared hybrid is considered by many to be the most beautiful among all ornamental cabbages. From one stalk grows several stems up to 45 cm high. Each is crowned with a rosette, repeating a rose flower. From the outside it looks like a bush or a bouquet of exotic flowers. Rosettes are two or three colors. The most spectacular ones consist of green, cream and pink leaves. But if you also need cabbage for food, then pair it with Sunrise with a variety with larger and juicier leaves.
Cabbage Sunrise - a bouquet of flowers from one stalk
Russian circle
A mixture of very beautiful cabbage. The plants grow compact - up to 30 cm. The heads are loose, reminiscent of roses. The leaves are round, smooth edges, decorated with colored veins and borders. Primary colors: white, all shades of yellow, red and green.
Russian krug cabbage has classic round leaves, but their luxurious color turns the rosettes into beautiful flowers.
Sowing ornamental cabbage
Ornamental cabbage is sown from late March to mid-April. Optimal temperature for growth: +14… +18 ⁰C. Seedlings tolerate frosts down to -4 ⁰C. The earth should thaw and warm up to +8 ⁰C... +10 ⁰C. Depending on the climatic conditions in the growing region, you yourself must decide where suitable conditions have developed during these periods: in a greenhouse, hotbed, in open ground, or you will have to sow seedlings at home.
Video: sowing cabbage in open ground under bottles
Soil preparation and sowing scheme depending on the growing location (table)
| Place of sowing | Soil preparation | Seed sowing pattern and density |
| Greenhouse or greenhouse for seedlings | Dig up or loosen the entire surface of the bed, adding a bucket of humus and two cups of wood ash per 1 m² | In rows: distance in a row - 2–3 cm, between rows - 10 cm |
| Open ground in a permanent place | Make holes with a diameter of 30 cm according to the pattern indicated on the seed package. Add two handfuls of humus and two tablespoons of ash to each. Mix everything well with the soil to a depth of 30 cm | 3-5 seeds per hole. After germination, remove excess seedlings or transplant them to another location. |
| Houses for seedlings | Buy ready-made soil for seedlings or mix turf soil and humus yourself in equal proportions. Add a glass of ash to the bucket of the mixture. |
|
For any sowing method, the seeding depth is 1 cm.
Ornamental cabbage, like any other, is afraid of rot and black leg at an early age. The soil and seeds must be disinfected. The soil can be scalded with boiling water or spilled with a purple solution of potassium permanganate. The same products are suitable for seeds. Only the water temperature should not be 100 ⁰C, as for land, but 50 ⁰C. Soak the seeds in hot water or potassium permanganate solution for 20 minutes, then remove and dip in clean cold water.
Video: preparing cabbage seeds and soil
Seeds in a colored shell do not need to be soaked and disinfected before sowing. They are coated with a glaze that contains fungicides and growth stimulants.
Growing ornamental cabbage
Cabbage seeds germinate in 3–5 days. From the first moments, small sprouts need plenty of sunlight and coolness. Conditions in closed and open ground are different. Therefore, care will be different.
With a lack of light, cabbage seedlings do not acquire a rich green color, become elongated, and grow weak
How to care for seedlings
As soon as the first loops of seedlings appear from the ground, move the box with seedlings to the brightest and coolest place. This could be a glazed balcony or veranda. Perhaps it has become warmer outside, and there is an opportunity to put the seedlings in a greenhouse or hothouse. For the first 3–4 days, the temperature should be at +8… +10 ⁰C, and in subsequent days no higher than +18 ⁰C. When growing on a windowsill, illuminate with a phytolamp, especially on cloudy days. In warm weather and with a lack of light, the stems will stretch out and fall to the ground; contact with it can cause blackleg.
Video: phytolamp effect on the north window
In addition to light and coolness, cabbage needs moisture. Water as soon as the top layer of soil begins to dry out. To prevent diseases, add potassium permanganate or Fitosporin to the water (1 tablespoon of working solution from the paste per 10 liters of water). After watering, ventilate the room with the seedlings.
The seedling period lasts about a month, which means you can have time to do 1-2 feedings:
- In the phase of the first true leaf, and if you grow with picking, then a week after transplantation.
- 10–14 days after the first, but no later than 2 weeks before planting in the ground.
If the plants are located in a living room, then use the universal fertilizer Fertika Lux (1 tbsp per 10 liters of water). For cabbage in a greenhouse or greenhouse, you can prepare fertilizer from an infusion of grass (1:5 with water), bird droppings (1:20 with water), mullein (1:10). If you buy bird droppings in a store, follow the instructions on the package.
Classic instructions for store-bought litter: for fertilizing, the fertilizer is diluted 1:100
A week before planting from closed to open ground, begin to harden the seedlings. Take it outside (to the garden, to the balcony) first for 1–2 hours, and by the end of the week - for the whole day.
Caring for cabbage in open ground
Care for seedlings in open ground is the same as for seedlings: water, feed. However, if indoors the main threat to cabbage is fungal diseases, then in open ground it is pests. Cruciferous flea beetles love to feast on young and juicy leaves. But they are easy to scare off by dusting the bushes and the ground around with ash or a mixture of ash and tobacco dust in any proportions. If there is a lot of tobacco dust, then you can only use it.
Cruciferous flea beetles settle in large colonies; they can eat young cabbage shoots entirely in one day
Another danger of open ground is that moisture quickly disappears from the ground, so you need to water more often than in a greenhouse or on a windowsill. Mulch can solve the problem; cover the soil in the garden bed with cut grass, straw, and shavings. If you can get a lot of pine needles, then use it as mulch, spread the needles around the bushes. This way you will also protect the cabbage from slugs.
Protection against slugs from a plastic bottle, the top edge must be bent downwards
Provide similar care to newly planted seedlings. Plus additionally: for the first 2-3 days it needs to be shaded and sprinkled. Soil preparation and planting scheme, as when sowing seeds in a permanent place in holes.
With any growing method (seedlings or directly into the ground with seeds), in June you will have young ornamental cabbage growing in your garden bed, with 3–5 leaves. Next, care for it like any cabbage, but take into account its growth characteristics. Tall varieties with stems can be hilled to make them more resilient. If the rosette is formed close to the ground, then this event will be unnecessary.
Video: ornamental cabbage in open ground, sowing and care
In mid-summer, cabbage is pestered by whites. There are several options for dealing with them:
- Collect caterpillars by hand.
- Disorient the whites by masking the smell of cabbage with marigolds or other fragrant herbs planted in the garden.
- Stick pegs in different places in the bed and place halves of egg shells on them. Butterflies see white spots, mistake them for their relatives and fly past the occupied territory.
- Treat with insecticides: Aktara, Aktelik, Karbafos, Intavir, etc. This option is suitable for ornamental cabbage, which is grown only for beauty. If you plan to pick leaves for salads, then follow the waiting periods specified in the instructions for the preparations.
Eggshells are guarding order - it helps some gardeners, not others, but it’s easy to check for yourself
Ornamental cabbage leaves look beautiful in salads. However, their taste cannot be called excellent; there is bitterness. But it disappears in the fall, when the cabbage falls under the first frost. And some people like fresh summer leaves. In any case, they contain trace elements and vitamins, and they contain twice as much protein and fiber as white cabbage. In terms of selenium content, ornamental cabbage is an absolute record holder among other species. Selenium reduces the risk of cancer, normalizes the activity of the thyroid gland and pancreas, restores cells, slows down aging, strengthens vision, increases reproductive function, and helps remove toxins and heavy metals from the body.
One of the most important agricultural practices in caring for cabbage is watering.
Don't forget to water the cabbage regularly and well. The top 30 cm of soil under the bush should be saturated with water. In hot weather, irrigate by leaves. Splashes of water will also serve as a pest repellent. Keep row spacing loose and free of weeds.
As for fertilizing, over the entire summer it is enough to make two or three infusions of herbs, dung or mullein, that is, once a month. If you overfeed ornamental cabbage with nitrogen, the leaves will be large and juicy, but will not acquire bright colors. Green color will predominate. At the end of August and September, it is better to feed only with ash: powder the soil and loosen it.
How to extend the life of ornamental cabbage
In autumn, with the onset of cold weather, the most beautiful bushes can be dug up and planted in a flowerpot or bucket. There is no need to keep it in the room on the windowsill, next to the heating radiator. This culture does not like dry and warm air. It is recommended to place it on a glazed balcony, in a winter garden or on a veranda, that is, in a cool and well-lit room. If the plot is located under your windows, then leave the plants in the garden bed; you will be able to admire its beauty for a long time. And against the background of snow, decorated with frost, decorative cabbage will look simply fabulous.
Ornamental cabbage continues to reign in the garden even after the first frosts and snowfalls
Cabbage is a biennial crop. If you save it until spring and plant it again in the garden, it will produce an arrow decorated with beautiful flowers. You can admire it again and collect seeds. To plant in the second year, cabbage must be dug up by the roots before the first frost; frozen cabbage will rot in winter. The soil is shaken off the root and hung in the cellar with the rosette facing down. The leaves will not wither if optimal conditions for cabbage are created in the storage: temperature +1... -1 ⁰C, humidity - 85–95%. Walls, floors and shelves must be disinfected with lime, Anti-Rot preparation, etc.
Video: second life of ornamental cabbage
At first glance, this is an unusual combination - an edible vegetable and an ornamental plant - this rarely occurs. Ornamental cabbage has been known since ancient times, its beneficial properties are appreciated, but even more so, its decorativeness and attractiveness. With her participation, you can create amazing flower beds and mixborders that are not inferior in beauty to floral ones.
Description of the plant
Ornamental cabbage refers to its leafy variety. This name combines several forms of the plant, otherwise called brassica. All of them are biennials and in the first year they impress with spectacular leaf rosettes, and in the second year they bloom and bear fruit. The sizes of ornamental cabbage can vary greatly - from 20 to 130 cm in height and up to a meter in width. These are completely different dimensions. Therefore, if you decide to fit brassica into the spaciousness of the flowerbed, be sure to look at the dimensions stated on the bag of seeds.
Some varieties of ornamental cabbage resemble other plants, such as this variety resembles a rose
For our case, those varieties that have a strong and low stem and a rosette with wide leaves are suitable. This is an elliptical leaf shape, and ovoid with lacy edges. It is these plants that are the most spectacular and it is in the first year of growth that they are best suited for decorating flower beds.
It is worth mentioning separately about the variety of colors - these are shades of green (both without impurities and with white stripes), and green with dove, blue, spots of lilac or pink. There are plants that are white, cream, pink, yellow, and deep purple. Ornamental cabbage shows its best qualities in the fall when frost sets in, since it easily tolerates a slight drop in temperatures below zero. In fact, the critical temperature for brassica is -12 degrees, which is already considered typical winter in mid-latitudes. This means that in your garden, not only in the midst of autumn, but also during the almost complete absence of other sources of bright colors, this wonderful creation of nature will delight the eye. However, this applies to adult plants; seedlings can withstand cold temperatures down to -4 degrees.
Thanks to its color and leaf shape, ornamental cabbage is a unique creation of nature.
The most common, predominant shades of ornamental cabbage are bluish-green and purple. In this case, the best companions for her will be plants with rich orange and yellow colors. At the end of summer - beginning of autumn, a combination of ornamental cabbage with physalis and marigolds looks great in a flowerbed. It will last until the first frost, since already at a temperature of -1 degree marigolds end their life cycle.
The program "Dachnik" about ornamental cabbage
Different types
Ornamental cabbage has many varieties, each of which deserves special attention. Here we note several common and effective ones, each with their own unique features.
- Nagoya - this variety has beautiful openwork leaves, which by autumn acquire a burgundy, dark crimson or yellow color.
- The purple dove lives up to its name both in appearance and color. The leaves collected in a tight rosette have a bright purple color.
- Sunrise - very similar to a cream-colored rose - is a great gift for all lovers of the unusual.
- Pink Heron - has soft pink leaves, you can look at them without stopping for a long time.
- Green branched, Curly red and green, Blue giant, Green coarse - they grow up to one and a half meters and in some ways even resemble palm trees from distant Africa. Due to their size, they are grown singly.
- Japanese variegated, white and scarlet, Plume variegated, white and red - on average have a height of 0.6-0.8 m and look great in flower beds and ridges, as well as parterres.
Photo gallery of varieties
Variety ‘Pink Heron’ Variety ‘Blue Giant’ Variety ‘Japanese Ornamental’ Variety Variety ‘Sunrise F1’ Variety ‘Purple Dove’
Where and how to plant
Ornamental cabbage can be grown from seeds by seedlings or by directly planting the seeds in open ground. In the first case, sowing in mini-greenhouses should occur in March-April. Sow two or three seeds per hole, 5 cm between holes. Picking cabbage is quite simple - regular thinning, which involves removing weak sprouts.
To avoid troubles in the form of diseases in seedlings, you need to monitor the frequency and volume of watering. The soil is thoroughly watered before planting seeds.
By the way, it is better to take soil for growing ornamental cabbage seedlings not from the beds on your own plot, but to purchase them in bags in the store.
Five to six days before the shoots emerge from the ground, it is minimally irrigated with water as it dries out.
Sprouts at normal room temperature may begin to develop too quickly and become very elongated. We don’t need this, and therefore we place containers with seedlings in a cool and well-lit room with a temperature of 12-16 degrees. In such conditions, the seedlings harden within 35-40 days, and already at the end of April - beginning of May they will be ready for planting in open ground.
To prevent the seedlings from stretching too long, the greenhouses with them are placed in a room with a temperature of 12-16 degrees
It is also possible to plant seeds directly in open ground. It is produced from the second ten days of May to mid-June. Considering that ornamental cabbage has an advantage over ordinary white cabbage in growth speed, by autumn you will already have full-fledged colored bushes. When the seedlings acquire 3-4 leaves, they can be thinned out. The strongest plants are left, the rest are planted in another place. You can also give a nice gift to your neighbors, who will appreciate it during the change from summer to autumn.
Look carefully at the area and choose an open place where there will be plenty of sun. Ornamental cabbage will easily take root in the shade, but in this case you should not hope for bright colors. Loams and sandy loam, rich in humus, are the best soils for this crop.
Plants are planted according to a 35x35cm pattern, but everything is quite individual and depends on the variety. It is best to plant seedlings in open ground at the end of the day, when the sun's activity is no longer the same as at noon. Cloudy weather is also perfect for this event. Before planting, one teaspoon of universal fertilizer for planting is applied to each hole.
Ornamental cabbage can be grown either by planting seeds in open ground or through seedlings
When transplanting into open ground, sprouts are dug in to the level of the cotyledon leaves, carefully compacting the soil around the stem and roots. In order for the seedlings to better adapt to the new conditions, it is better to shade them for the first couple of days.
If you do not want to leave brassica on the site until winter, you can take it home for the winter. Better yet, grow it from scratch at home. It is so unpretentious in terms of care that it does not require special attention during the growing process.
Curious gardeners who want to know about the edibility of ornamental cabbage will be happy - it can be used for culinary purposes. If you decide to boil potatoes, add part of the colored brassica leaf to the pan during cooking and evaluate the result. They say potatoes become much tastier.
Ornamental cabbage can serve as an excellent decoration for a garden path
Watering and fertilizing
Caring for ornamental cabbage is not difficult - the main thing is to water it regularly, weed it, remove the soil, and provide it with fertilizers. Urea or mullein will be useful for feeding one and a half to two weeks after planting seedlings in open ground. A bucket of water requires a liter jar of mullein. After this feeding, the plant will begin to acquire leaves faster.
In another two weeks, complex mineral fertilizer will come in handy. It must be applied based on the information on ordinary feeding stated on the packaging. When the plant has 9-10 true leaves, it’s time to loosen the soil between them.
Although mineral and organic fertilizers stimulate good plant development, you should not overuse them - adult plants with an excess of organic nitrogen will lose their spectacular appearance.
Pest protection
Even though ornamental cabbage is decorative, it is still cabbage. This means that she has corresponding enemies: for example, the cabbage fly. You can protect the planting of young cabbage using paper collars. To do this, circles with a diameter of 10 cm are cut out of paper and a cut is made from the edge to the center in a straight line. In the center of the circle there will be a stem that needs to be tightly wrapped in paper. After two to three weeks, the collars can be removed - by this time the plants will have gained strength.
Wintering conditions
To preserve the plants for the next year, they are dug up in the fall, keeping a ball of earth on the roots, all leaves except the top ones are cut off and buried in the sand. So in a ventilated and dry room they will be stored until spring, and their roots will not dry out. In spring, the plants are returned to open ground. Moreover, the sooner you do this, the better.
To ensure proper pollination next year, plant different varieties of ornamental cabbage next to each other.
Ornamental cabbage begins to bloom in June-July, and the garden plot becomes especially beautiful at this time. Considering the variety of colors and shapes of brassica, you can initially create a real multi-colored composition in your flowerbed, which will delight you with its appearance for the rest of the season.
Everyone wants their site to be the brightest and most beautiful. Today this is easy to do. There is a wide range of flowers, trees and shrubs on the market. The beauty of the garden is especially appreciated, as it delights with its colors right up to winter. To achieve the desired effect, more and more people prefer ornamental cabbage.
Ornamental cabbage - a vegetable or a flower?
A few years earlier, few people thought that cabbage could be used to decorate their garden plots. Everyone knew it as a delicious vegetable, which is distinguished by its variety of varieties. But few people thought that ornamental cabbage has existed since the 4th century AD. Back then it was a common weed.
It is now a biennial plant. After planting, leaves form in the first year, and the next year the cabbage begins to bloom and bear fruit. The maximum height of the plant can reach 130 centimeters and a diameter of one meter. It is considered decorative due to its leaves and their amazing color. With the help of such cabbage, you can solve problems with decorating and filling voids in the area. Leaves may be smooth or curly. In size, they can grow up to 60 cm in length and 30 cm in width. There are a large number of colors of decorative cabbage. It can be combined with various varieties of flowers and shrubs.
Decorative cabbage in landscape design
In order for ornamental cabbage to harmoniously combine with the site, it is worth taking into account all the little things when planting, for example, such as:
- Parameters and dimensions of the garden.
- Find a good, visible place for the plant.
- Arm yourself with imagination.
- Choose the varieties you like.
And, of course, we should not forget that such cabbage is an ornamental plant, not an edible one, so it must be treated properly.
If you decide that the area needs this particular plant, then it’s worth knowing how and what to combine it with:
- Ornamental cabbage goes well with bright orange and saffron or physalis.
- This plant can be used in the form.
- To prevent the flower beds from being empty when they bloom, you can plant cabbage like this in their place.
- Such plants are suitable or large in size.
Few people know, but growing ornamental cabbage in landscape design is an unpretentious task. She is not afraid of moisture, sun, or severe frosts. You can make bouquets from this cabbage. In this case, they are cut off at the root and placed in a vase with water. Such a bouquet will last a long time if you change the water every day and sweeten it a little. Ornamental cabbage can be used in landscape design as you wish. There is no need to resort to any rules. You can do it yourself by planting plants in certain shapes and patterns.
In order to have an idea about the plant, you can look at a photo of ornamental cabbage. This is what it looks like on the finished flower bed:
Now it’s worth considering the main commonly found varieties.
Varieties of ornamental cabbage
In order not to get confused in the variety of species, it is worth learning in more detail some varieties of ornamental cabbage:
- "Garden curly." This cabbage is native to Western Europe. The plant reaches a height of 60 cm. It has dark purple or bluish-green leaves. This ornamental cabbage grows with a rosette of leaves that can be pink, white or purple in color. The leaves are located close to the stem and are green in color. The edges are corrugated.
- "Green curly." This variety can be either low or tall. The leaves are fluffy, curly, and green in color.
- "Green branchy." Cabbage grows to a height of no more than 70 cm. The leaves are gray-green. There are several subspecies of this variety: rosette, needle-shaped, cabbage and half-head. This plant can be of any shape, such as round, flat or columnar. This variety has a huge palette of leaf colors: yellow, red, green, white and pink.
- "Robin". This is a mid-season variety. The plant can reach a height of up to 1.5 meters and a diameter of 40 cm. The leaves are round in shape with corrugated edges. Their color is red-violet. This variety of ornamental cabbage tolerates low temperatures well and is resistant to various diseases.
- "Colors of the East". This is the latest variety. Ornamental cabbage has a semi-spreading rosette of a gray-green hue, which gradually turns purple. It tolerates frost well and is resistant to various rodents.
These are the five main varieties of ornamental cabbage. Each of them may contain additional subspecies. Below is a photo of different varieties of ornamental cabbage in one flower bed.
Growing ornamental cabbage to decorate the site
To grow such beauty in your dacha, you should first purchase seeds. It is better to plant a ready-made one in open ground, so first we will look at how to grow it correctly. To do this, prepare a container that needs to be filled with ready-made soil mixture.
If the soil is collected from the dacha, then it is necessary to disinfect the soil, and then you can plant the seeds. Caring for seedlings is carried out in the usual way. It can be planted in open ground from mid-May. This is done in special holes, at a distance of 30 cm from each other. Growing ornamental cabbage to decorate your garden is not difficult. The main thing is to care for the plant in a timely manner as usual:
- Watering.
- Fertilizer.
- Weeding.
- Loosening.
So, let's look at each point separately. Cabbage loves constant spraying. It is better to do this in the morning or evening. If the weather is dry, then you need to water the cabbage every day.
It is worth fertilizing it with mullein. Do this no more than once a week.
After constant watering and rain, the soil in the flowerbed must be loosened. This will help the plant roots get oxygenated.
And, of course, the flowerbed must be weeded to remove weeds. They prevent cabbage from fully growing and developing. Also, during the period of growing ornamental cabbage to decorate a garden plot, you can encounter a global problem - rodents and insects. The former can eat plant roots and seeds. The latter eat cabbage leaves and spoil its appearance. You need to deal with them immediately and try to prevent their occurrence.
Before planting seedlings or seeds, boiling water is added to the soil and poured over the soil. But to get rid of insects, plants must be constantly sprayed with special preparations that fight leaf caterpillars. These little tricks will help you get rid of pests once and for all.
How to beautifully decorate a site using ornamental cabbage?
As we have already found out, the most interesting and unpretentious decoration of the garden is considered to be decorative cabbage in the flowerbed. The following photo clearly proves this.
Several varieties can be planted at the same time, alternating them. If at the beginning of our article you didn’t know how to decorate a plot with ornamental cabbage, then now you already have ideas in your head that need to be brought to life. A detailed diagram of the arrangement of ornamental cabbage in the flowerbed will also help in this endeavor. The photo can be viewed further.
Even novice gardeners can cope with a plant such as ornamental cabbage. You can create amazing compositions using cabbage and various shrubs. Above is a diagram of a way to beautifully decorate a site using decorative cabbage. You can create various patterns and ornaments on the flowerbed. Cabbage goes well with tall plants. You can also make beautiful or hanging flower beds from it.
The unpretentiousness of the plant solves the problems of landscaping and decorating streets and parks. You can increasingly see ornamental cabbage in city photos.
Decorating your garden with decorative cabbage - video
Decorating a personal plot often involves the fact that it is simply a pity to occupy large areas with flower and ornamental crops. There is a solution - this is edible beauty, which can be used for decorative purposes. Some species are vegetables, others are aromatic herbs. Ornamental cabbage has been used in landscape design since ancient times. The first mentions of this vegetable were found in records dating back to the Roman Empire. Greece is considered the birthplace of the plant. Further breeding was carried out all over the world. As a result, more than 80 varieties with different leaf shapes and colors appeared. All of them are edible - they can be used in salads, for preparing side dishes and canning. On this page you can see the varieties and names of ornamental cabbage with photos illustrating the wealth of variations of use in landscape design. 
Types and varieties of ornamental cabbage: names and photos
Its prevalence throughout the world has given this culture an excellent opportunity to enrich the gene pool with beneficial properties and resistance to adverse environmental factors. Types of ornamental cabbage are divided into annual and biennial varieties. The former produce viable seeds in the first year of cultivation. The second group allows you to get flowering and seeds only in the second year of cultivation. All varieties of ornamental cabbage are unpretentious and easy to use in agricultural technology. Next, we will look at their names and photos in order to be able to make a choice of seeds in advance.
Ornamental cabbage “Vyacheslavna” is also known as “Voronezh white”. It is a hardy hybrid that produces a spreading rosette of lacy leaves. The height of an adult bush reaches half a meter. The color of the leaves is bluish, closer to the center of yellow or white. Reminds me of a large rose when in full bloom. To grow it, it requires soil rich in organic matter with a light structure. Looks beautiful as borders along garden paths.
The “Burgundy Lace” variety is presented by the agricultural company “Gavrish”. It has an emerald coloring of a lacy rosette of dense leaves with a pronounced burgundy core. This is a very colorful plant of compact size up to 40 cm in height and up to 70 cm in diameter. Grown as an annual. Seedlings are planted in March. It acquires its most attractive appearance by the end of July.
"Victoria" has an unusual three-colored rosette of leaves. The outer diameter of the rosette has a rich green color. Closer to the middle, the color turns into cream, and the inside of the rosette is pink. Thanks to the dense structure of the corrugated leaves, it seems that an original flower is growing. Plant height 30 cm, diameter 50 cm.
"Crane Bicolor F1" is another amazing hybrid with an unusual color of rosettes. It is grown as an annual crop. It has the highest decorative properties. The height of the bush is 60 cm. Can be used in group and single plantings. In landscape design, this variety of ornamental cabbage retains its decorative and consumer properties until permanent snow cover falls. During the first half of summer, the bushes appear as dense, tall rosettes of smooth emerald leaves. Against their background, all summer flowering crops with low stems look great. Towards mid-August, the real “beauty” begins to reveal itself. The rosette becomes flat, and inside it, shimmering with colors, roses with an unusual tricolor color bloom. Look at the photo what it looks like:
The “Nagoya White F1” variety is a uniquely decorative plant with amazing corrugated and lacy leaves. The outer diameter of the rosette is painted in a rich emerald color. But inside there are leaves of rich white color. Due to its low height, it looks great in border groups, along the edges of flower beds.
“Colors of the East” are among the most unpretentious varieties. They have a rich green and burgundy color. Used in the design of flower beds and rose gardens. Excellent compositions are obtained with ornamental grasses and ferns.
The Osaka variety of ornamental cabbage, represented by three main color combinations, deserves unconditional attention. There are three main color combinations in rosettes. The red one has a burgundy and red core. But white and blue have a more pronounced contrast. You can also purchase a mixture of this variety.
These are the main names of varieties of ornamental cabbage and photos, but in fact in flower shops you can find at least a hundred names, among which a whole collection for landscape design will be collected.
When to plant ornamental cabbage for seedlings: timing and recommendations
So, we found out above that the crop can only be grown by seedlings. At least in all regions of risky farming. When to plant ornamental cabbage for seedlings, at what time is it advisable to do this to obtain strong seedlings? Much depends on the climatic conditions of a particular region. Agricultural technology requires seedlings no older than 80 days to be planted in open ground. After this period, they no longer tolerate transplantation well, and development in cramped peat pots stops. In this case, it will be difficult to get a rich harvest. Therefore, it is worth knowing approximately when the threat of return frosts passes in the area. From this moment, count back 90 days and during this period plant ornamental cabbage seedlings. As a rule, in regions with a warm climate this is the beginning of April. In the Urals, Siberia and regions with similar climates, planting should be done in early March.
The seeds should not be soaked before planting. They sprout easily after 5 days. Pay attention to soil preparation. It should not be acidic and contain a large amount of organic substances. It is optimal to take half of the greenhouse soil and sand. After planting, the soil should be covered with a thin layer of sifted charcoal. This is a measure of protection against rotting and the appearance of the “black leg” disease. Before sowing, the soil is calcined in the oven for 2 hours. Then shed with a strong solution of manganese and any fungicide. Ornamental cabbage should be sown for seedlings with a sufficient depth of 1.5 cm. After sowing, water with warm boiled water and cover with plastic wrap. 
Growing ornamental cabbage: planting, care, feeding
Planting seedlings is only the beginning of a long journey to beauty. After the first pair of true leaves appear, they are picked into separate peat pots. This should be done carefully. Seedlings can be removed from the soil using a teaspoon with a pointed bottom edge. Bury into the soil up to the cotyledon leaves. As it grows, you can add soil. Growing ornamental cabbage during the seedling period requires careful attention to the prevention of root rot. To do this, it is advisable to water the seedlings with a solution of potassium permanganate and fungicides. Fertilize once a week with mineral complexes with a predominant mass fraction of nitrogen. Subsequent planting in the ground, care and feeding will be discussed further.
Planting in open ground is possible only after the threat of frost on the soil has passed. For planting, holes are prepared, a handful of humus and wood ash, and a tablespoon of complex mineral fertilizer for cruciferous vegetables are placed in them. After this, the plants are buried in soil. It is advisable to cover them with cut plastic bottles. In this way, it is possible to provide protection to fragile seedlings from the cruciferous flea beetle and the scorching rays of the sun.
Combine fertilizing with watering, adding a liter of organic solution and 2 tablespoons of a mineral complex to a bucket of water.
As an adult, it can be attacked by slugs. Regular loosening of the soil and mulching helps fight them. If necessary, special chemical insecticides can be used.