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Using Kale as an Ornamental

August 28th, 2020

I’ve always grown kale and I love it, not only is it edible, but it’s also beautiful. This is the first year I’ve grown kale specifically as an ornamental plant and included it throughout the borders. A new one for me this year is ‘Purple Moon’ from Renee’s Garden Seeds and it’s a true showstopper!

I’m also growing a green curly kale that was given to me by a friend and lacinato kale throughout the garden.

The dark kale is a perfect pair with the echinacea! The dark bluish black of the kale really sets off the dark pink of the echinacea.

I’m especially fond of the green curly kale above with the anise hyssop and the Japanese golden hakone grass. I’ll definitely continue adding kale to the ornamental gardens from now on.

Do you grow kale? What’s your favorite variety?

2 Comments to “Using Kale as an Ornamental”
  1. David Bentz on August 31, 2020 at 1:27 pm

    Susy, I’ve not grown any Kale in my gardens. Do you think it would be a good candidate for mini greens grown under grow lights during the winter months? I grew lettuce and radishes last winter but am looking to expand my selection of salad greens for this winter. It takes about 20 days to grow a radish of size to eat and about 25 days to grow lettuce to begin harvesting. Leaf lettuce of course can be harvested several times before needing to be replaced. The winter basement garden keeps my hands in the dirt over the winter and provides wonderful salads in deepest, darkest, coldest, part of the winter months.

    Your gardens have really matured from when you first started laying them out and designing the planting of them. You have done a really awesome job. Thanks for allowing me to see your journey.

    Nebraska Dave
    Urban Ranch

    Reply to David Bentz's comment

    • Susy on September 1, 2020 at 4:28 pm

      It would be, I have grown it as a mini green and even as a microgreen when one of mine went to seed and I had loads of seed. I too love having a winter basement garden, I don’t grow radishes, perhaps I should try. Your soil mix must be great if they only take 20 days (that’s how you test potting soil to see how fertile it is).

      Reply to Susy's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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