Flowering kale, and its close cousin, flowering cabbage will add bursts of much-needed color to your early spring or fall garden. A snap to grow, both flowering kale and cabbage, love cool weather and can tolerate light frosts. They look terrific in containers mixed with other cool-weather plants such as ajuga, sweet alyssum, and pansy. Both plants sport boldly colored leaves in a painterly mix of pink, purple, white, and red. Plus, the plants are edible! Hardy from zones 6-11.

It's often hard to tell flowering kale and cabbage apart. As a general rule, flowering kale has a looser growth habit than its close relative. But, since both have similar needs and growth habits you don't really have to worry about which one you have in your garden. Flowering kale and cabbage are both biennial in nature and will survive over the winter in the southern part of their range. However, the plants don't look that great in their second year so we recommend treating the plants as annuals.

Get ideas for decorating with flowering kale, flowering cabbage, and other fall plants. 

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Sun worshippers, flowering kale and cabbage do best in a spot that gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day. Mass them in beds by themselves or use them to add color to pots and planters. They prefer a rich, slightly moist soil, but can miss a few waterings without too much harm. Use a slow-release granular fertilizer to keep them fed. If left in the ground over the summer, flowering kale and cabbage may be attacked by the cabbage looper caterpillar. Use a natural control such as Bacillus thuringiensis to keep the pests at bay.