15 Varieties Of Ornamental Cabbage And Kale For A Stunning Fall Garden

If you're hoping to bring some color into your garden during the autumn months, who could blame you? Especially if you've had a bumper summer, with warm-season bloomers showering you with colors and inviting pollinators to go about their busy lives in your yard, the fall can seem like a decidedly barren and lifeless time of year. Fortunately, there are plenty of plants that can keep the color party going long after the mercury starts to drop, and some of the best, most showy varieties belong to the Brassica family.

Ornamental cabbages and kales belong to the same family, and it's a clan you may well be familiar with. Brussels sprouts are also a member, as are cauliflower and broccoli, and while some of the plants featured in this guide are ornamental only, there are others that share one delicious trait with their cousins, and that's that they're edible. Ornamental kale, especially, provides a superb addition to leafy salads, and while you may be loath to remove its foliage given the hard work it's doing to replace your summer bloomers, you can rest reasonably assured that these prolific fall-time growers will not remain sparse for long. Aside from their culinary applications, the ornamentals below have unique and beautiful growing habits, some seeming to reach for the sky, others quite happy to keep a low profile. In almost all cases, their colors are spectacular, showing themselves best at the time of year that your garden needs them most.

Empire Luba (Brassica oleracea 'Empire Luba') is an ornamental cabbage, forming part of the Brassica Empire series of plants. Like others in the series, it's an F1 hybrid, which means that it has effectively been crossbred from genetically different parent plants. This style of breeding yields increased vigor and productivity, a trait that's usually welcomed with open arms by gardeners desperately trying to restore life to their autumn borders.

This particular ornamental grows with a gorgeous rosette of leaves that fade outwards from purple to pale pink, and which contrasts wonderfully with green outer foliage. Like most other ornamental brassicas, it tends to show its finest colors in cooler conditions, making the fall a fantastic time to have it in the ground. It has a fairly uniform growth pattern, too, making it easy to keep control of your borders.

Beautiful by both name and nature, this ornamental promises vigorous growth, with glossy leaves and a central rosette that fades outwards from rose to cream. It's a fall bloomer and is tolerant of both heat and frost, making it a fantastic means of adding color to your crops as the temperatures begin to drop.

As for where to plant it, it's similar to others in this guide in that it prefers full sun or partial shade. Rich, well-watered (and equally well-drained) loamy soil is key, and provided that you give it the right conditions, you can expect each plant to spread up to 1½ feet. Finally, since crystal snow prefers cooler weather, you needn't worry if you see a temperature drop on your local forecast. In fact, as it gets colder, you can expect the center of your crystal snow rosettes to become even more vivid.

'Color up' varieties of ornamental cabbage help gardeners to keep the color show going long after the summer gives way to fall. Color up purple (Brassica oleracea 'color up purple') is especially popular, being perhaps the most vibrant in its class. It has a deep-purple rosette at its center, with an upright, mounding growth habit that keeps things nice and tidy in your borders. It's also an incredibly hard worker, and if you do decide to plant it, you'll probably find that it's the first to show itself in your beds and the last to stop. It's one of those rare colorful plants that thrive in winter weather, particularly in warmer zones, where it's been known to grow all the way through the cold season.

Other 'color up' types grow with either white or pink rosettes; all are beautiful, and planted together can create a diverse planting scheme without the need for other species. Just know that while they can be grown in warmer climes, they tend to display at their most vibrant and colorful only once temperatures regularly drop below 55°F.

One of the F1 'crane' series of ornamentals, which grow a range of rosette colors including white, red, pink, and even bi-color, this particular variety turns fuchsia pink at its heart, with large outer green leaves. It looks sort of like a stack of green ice cream cones with a strawberry scoop on top. Like other ornamental kales, it is a cool-season annual, more likely to show off in cooler climes, and generally provides the best displays at the cooler end of this spectrum. In other words, it might look like an ice cream, but by the time the temperature's right, its showy leaves are unlikely to put you in the mood for one.

Seeds are best sown around three months before the cool weather of autumn starts to set in. And, if you live in warmer climates, you should note that those vibrant central leaves may gradually turn green.

While you may need more than a single plant in order to achieve an actual "acre of red," those that you do plant are sure to wow you with their purple-red hearts and colorfully-veined outer leaves. Red acre (Brassica oleracea (capitata group) 'red acre') is superb for smaller patches, and while you could grow it purely as an ornamental, you'll be tempted to hoist this edible out of the ground to supplement your fall and winter cooking.

Red cabbages contain megadoses of anthocyanin, an antioxidant that has potential links to chronic disease prevention. More than that, it's incredibly versatile, and can be eaten raw, braised, or even fermented and turned into sauerkraut. Plant it in the late summer for an autumn flourish, and if you want to give yourself the best chance of gourmet growth, consider transplanting it into your beds rather than seeding, as seeds may struggle to outcompete weeds in beds that aren't frequently managed.

With uniform growing tendencies that make large numbers easy to grow en masse while maintaining a tidy patch, Songbird red (Brassica oleracea 'songbird red') is an ornamental kale with green outer leaves that fade inwards to red. Another F1 hybrid, songbird varieties are available in pink, red, and white, each with wavy leaves that lend them a distinctly "refined" appearance.

This means you can easily choose one to complement (or contrast with) the other colors you have planned for your fall garden, without searching for other plants that match songbird red's environmental requirements. Having said that, it's also recommended as a companion plant for pansies, who share its preference for cool conditions. Either way, once planted, like so many of the ornamentals featured in this guide, you'll find that your plants will intensify in color as the temperatures start to drop.

With a compact growth pattern, the "pigeon" series of dwarf ornamentals is both robust and moderately frost tolerant, making it an ideal fall-time planting partner. It's a great choice for adding color to your landscape, and thanks to the other colors available within the family — including purple, red, and white — it's easy to plant a diverse scheme with just a single species. Whichever color you choose, this family is also well-suited for planting in pots, which is ideal if you're short on space or have reserved your garden beds for other winter vegetables.

This particular family member, the "Victoria," features lush outer green leaves, veined with white, plus a central rosette that fades inwards from cream to blushing pink. As for when it's inclined to display at its rosiest, cool conditions below 55 degrees Fahrenheit are usually the most conducive to color.

This attractive ornamental grows ruffled white and green leaves that promise to texturize and add contrast to a drab fall garden. And, just like other ornamental brassicas, it does best in the fall, when dropping temperatures encourage its gorgeous rosettes to don rosy tips of pink, enhancing their overall appeal.

As for where to plant it, white peacock (Brassica oleracea 'white peacock') it's perfect for naturally edging your borders while lending them a reliably bright finish. What's more, it's among the easiest plants to grow in the fall and attract pollinators, although you should know that the principal species that's attracted to it is the white cabbage butterfly. While the insects themselves won't cause damage to your plants, their larvae and caterpillars will, so if you spy them hovering around your brassicas (whatever the variety), it's important to monitor your plants and remove any caterpillars you find.

The perfect planting partner for other beautiful fall container plants, Yokohama red (Brassica oleracea 'Yokohama red') fits perfectly into pots and planters of different sizes, making it a solid choice for gardeners who are short on growing space. It promises to produce a vibrant show of color, too. In fact, this showy plant's display is often longer-lasting and more dazzling than other ornamentals, thanks to its superb tolerance for cold conditions. It can survive occasional dips into the teens (Fahrenheit) with minimal damage.

It forms attractive mounds with frilly, curly leaves, and as for color, Yokohama ornamentals grow with inner rosettes of either reddish-purple or white, depending on which type you choose. The leaves around the edges remain green, resulting in a satisfying, two-toned display that'll last long into the colder months. It's also edible, however, since ornamental kales are generally grown for their appearance rather than for flavor, you might find it makes a rather bland addition to your favorite salad.

Glamour red (Brassica oleracea 'glamour red') is especially favored by gardeners who live in warmer climates thanks to its tolerance to heat, and lives up to its name with a showy, vibrant pink central rosette and white-tipped green outer foliage. Now, while it is heat-tolerant, that doesn't mean you should expect a display of radiant color in the summer months. When temperatures are consistently above 55 degrees Fahrenheit, glamour reds, like most ornamental brassicas, are often unenthusiastic about showing off, so understanding your hardiness zone and when temperatures are likely to be favorable is key to getting the most out of this plant.

When the mercury drops below that mark, however, they quickly come into their own. In other words, they're a fantastic choice for adding color to your garden in the autumn. Plant them in a sunny spot, and avoid common kale planting mistakes, like not preparing your soil or planting them in areas prone to standing water. If you can't guarantee good drainage, don't worry. These ornamentals also make superb additions to containers.

This tall F1 hybrid features ruffled leaves, which, if the lower ones are frequently harvested, will continue to grow anew. The major benefit of growing this ornamental veggie during the cooler months is that it's also one of the tastier, more nutritious ornamentals on this list, living up to kale's reputation in the culinary world as a "superfood." And since it grows back so quickly, you're unlikely to run out of fall-time fodder.

As for the autumn interest it'll add to your borders, you can expect abundant, furled textures of green-blue. winterbor (Brassica oleracea 'winterbor') does especially well in larger spaces and containers, growing up to a meter in height and spreading up to half a meter. What's more, as a recipient of the RHS Award of Garden Merit, you can rest reasonably assured that it's likely to perform well in the role for which you bought it.

This Siberian kale cultivar is deeply attractive and decorative, with purple-veined leaves that promise to grow back time and again, provided that you keep cutting them away. You'll probably want to, as well, given that they're edible.

Now, it's worth knowing that it could take a couple of years for this plant to grow to its full potential. In that time, it can grow up to a meter (about 3 feet 3 inches) in height, and occupy a footprint of up to half a meter. And while two years might seem like a long time, the green and purple displays it'll bring to your garden in the autumn are more than worth the wait. It's hardy in pretty extreme climates, too, and will cope with temperatures as low as 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you're looking for something to keep your green fingers busy in the warmer months of June and July while ensuring that the color show goes on when autumn arrives, then plant yourself some kamone pinks (Brassica oleracea 'kamome pink'). With their tolerance to frost and tendency to become even more vibrant as the weather continues to cool, they bring iridescent color via delicately fringed and frilly leaves, adding new textural dimensions to your fall planting scheme.

Pink is one of the most popular members of this family of brassicas, and understandably so. But these F1 hybrids are also available in red and bright white, allowing you to diversify your fall-time borders without having to worry about the growing requirements of multiple species. This makes them great for beginners, but in reality, botanists of all abilities are sure to enjoy the ornamental charm of these determined autumn dazzlers.

Another ornamental with leaf colors that intensify as the weather gets colder, peacock red (Brassica oleracea 'peacock red') brings elegant, understated charm to your borders with frilled and finely serrated green leaves. These are punctuated by a bright purple vein structure. Even better, if temperatures to dip below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, they flourish in richer, brighter shades (like most ornamental brassicas).

The rosettes are reminiscent of snowflakes, especially if you choose to plant peacock red's 'white' sibling. Whichever you choose to go with, these F1 hybrids are hardy in even severe winter conditions, which makes them an excellent choice for autumn color. And you never know; they might just continue to wow you all the way into the winter.

Not to be confused with coral queen (Brassica oleracea 'coral queen'), which has a deep red center, coral prince (Brassica oleracea 'coral prince') is generally much more mellow, developing a creamy white foliage heart that contrasts strikingly with its green outer leaves.

Coral prince plants can make handy companions in your vegetable garden, offering plentiful additions to your favorite salads. What's more, they promise to bring their delicate colorways to pots and borders during the fall. They're not especially fussy as to where they're grown, in fact they'll do just fine in hardiness zones 2 to 11, surviving temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit, though they are annuals and won't stick around forever. You can expect their lacy centers to come into their own once temperatures start dropping below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. And while they're usually white, they may also don hues of pink, purple, and red.