Ornamental cabbage: cultural features, description of varieties with names and photos
In autumn, many gardeners' flower beds take on a dull appearance: the last asters, chrysanthemums, marigolds and other persistent crops fade. Unusual cabbage will help complement the flowerbed palette with bright and rich tones until frost. Further in the article you will find the names of varieties of ornamental cabbage with photos and descriptions of the main characteristics.
Description of ornamental cabbage
Ornamental cabbage, or curly brassica (Brassica oleracea), came to us from Japan. It was there that they not only appreciated the taste of the vegetable, but also saw its beauty. Having worked a little with the shape and color of the leaves, breeders have created many varieties that will compete with the famous beauty rose in their appearance.
The plant grows wild in Greece, Italy and on the coast of the Republic of Crimea. The openwork beauty is divided into two types according to its structure:
- cabbage forms a loose head of loosely interlocking leaves, reminiscent of a peony or rose;
- leafy or palm-shaped, does not form a head, a leaf rosette with a heavily cut leaf blade of a lacy or openwork shape.
Decorative cabbage varies depending on the variety or hybrid type of dissection and leaf color.
The crop is classified as perennial or annual
Ornamental biennial cabbage: in the first year it forms a rosette of leaves, and in the second year of life it forms a peduncle and sets seeds.If there is no need to obtain your own seed harvest, cabbage is grown as an annual.
How it grows: in a flowerbed or in a pot
Cauliflower decorates perennial flower beds, the so-called mixborders.. By autumn, many plants in such flower beds have already finished flowering. Perennial grasses (barley, miscanthus, gray fescue), asters, chrysanthemums and annuals that are not afraid of cold weather (cineraria, ageratum, marigolds, amaranth, celosia) remain decorative. At this time, ornamental cabbage only reveals its full potential of rich color and luxurious texture of foliage.
Where and with what plants does the “vegetable rose” look good?:
- As a replacement for bulbous. After the primroses fade, empty spaces remain in the flower beds and flower beds. Loose heads of brassica will cover them more economically than other flowers (you will need half as many seedlings).
- Single planting on the lawn. Round flower beds made from different combined varieties of crops look beautiful.
- Brassica ridge along garden paths made of wood, stone, gravel chips, pine saw cuts or terracotta-colored garden tiles.
- Like a curb, framing complex flower beds of perennials.
- In openwork arabesque flower beds. These are carpet flower beds in which annual plants and ground cover crops are selected at the same height, as well as perennials that can withstand repeated cutting.
- Like the original tree trunk circles. As the leaves close, they completely block the access of light to weeds; in such an elegant circle around the trunk, moisture is retained longer.
The texture of ornamental cabbage leaves is combined with ceramics and wood. Flower beds lined with treated boards or small-diameter logs are attractive in the garden.
Attention! Cabbage tolerates repeated replanting if the root ball does not crumble too much when digging.
Landscape designers recommend planting varieties that are particularly beautiful or have an unusual shape or size of head of cabbage in separate containers. – pots, cache-pots, baskets. In addition, beautifully flowering annuals, ground cover and creeping perennial plants - sedums, ivy, euonymus - can be planted in flowerpots. When composing a complex composition, it is important to ensure that the plants are combined with each other, one crop emphasizes the decorative qualities of the other.
The maximum capacity of such containers is 5-10 liters. Brassica planted in a container can be conveniently transferred to another place.
Varieties of cabbage that look like a flower
The varieties and hybrids of ornamental cabbage are amazing. Japanese breeders, and then scientists from all over the world, worked on developing different colors, shapes of leaves and heads of cabbage..
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Gerda and Kai F1
Hybrid, a mixture of 2 colors: with emerald and dark purple leaves. These are tall plants, growing up to 50-70 cm, with highly corrugated and openwork leaves. The appearance of cabbage resembles a small palm tree.
Features of the variety: high frost resistance (withstands air temperatures down to -15°C) and unpretentiousness to growing conditions. “Vegetable beauty” is good not only in the flower garden, but also in cooking: for decorating dishes, preparing summer soups and fresh salads.
Nagoya F1
Japanese hybrid, represented by low plants (25-30 cm) with a wide and loose rosette of leaves. The head of cabbage sits on a short stem. Each sheet has heavily corrugated edges.
This hybrid has 3 varieties:
- white - with a white center and green outer leaves;
- red has a purple center and blue-green leaves around the edge;
- pink - the middle is painted bright pink, and the outer leaves retain an emerald color.
All these varieties of the hybrid are not found in a mixture of colors, like Kai and Gerda, but are sold separately with a patented name.
Reference. As the weather gets colder, the color of the middle leaves becomes brighter and fills almost the entire rosette.
Tokyo
The variety came from Japan. This is a small cabbage (up to 30 cm), similar in color and shape to an open pink peony. The bright pink center contrasts with the emerald green lower leaves. The head is loose, regular round in shape. The leaves are round, bubbly, with a slight waviness along the edges, slightly curled towards the center.
Tokyo, like the previous hybrid, has varieties with red, pink and white middle leaves.
Osaka F1
Similar to representatives of the Tokyo F1 hybrid. Characterized by its large height (55-60 cm) and the ability to grow in partial shade. Withstands short-term frosts down to -8°C.
Serenade
Miniature brassica 22-25 cm high. Its rounded-flattened heads of cabbage with strongly wavy leaves immediately attract attention. The variety is compact and does not take up much space in the flowerbed.
The outer leaves are dark green, while the inner leaves can be cream, white, crimson or pale pink.. Sometimes the variety is sold as a mixture of flowers. Serenade is not resistant to blackleg, so it is recommended to water the crops and seedlings moderately.
Sunrise F1
Bouquets made from this cabbage can be mistakenly confused with spray roses. From one long stem (45 cm) several thin stems grow, each of which is crowned with a rosette, shaped like a rose glass.
The inner leaves are two or three colors: green at the edges, then white, and pink in the very center. The transition from one color to another is smooth. Florists use Sunrise in bouquets by cutting off all the lower leaves.
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Russian circle
A mixture of lacy cabbage varieties. The heads are compact (25-30 cm high), round, rose-like. The leaves are rounded, with a smooth edge. The lower leaves are dark green. The color of the middle is in various shades of yellow, red (there are varieties with a rich red middle), cream and green. The veins on the leaf blade and its edge are also brightly colored.
If the plant is transplanted into a pot in the fall, it will decorate the windowsill and remain decorative until the New Year. Good for cutting. Light-loving and demanding of soil fertility.
Lace frill F1
Plant height – 40-50 cm. Cabbage leaves are highly corrugated, lacy. The rosette is round, flattened. The variety with a purple-blue center looks especially impressive. In addition, there are varieties with red and white centers.
Coral Queen
A hybrid with a red center and gray-green marginal leaves will help you grow real coral reefs in the garden. An adult plant has a height of 40 cm and a diameter of 50 cm. The leaves of the plant are strongly dissected and their structure resembles coral. The variety tolerates light frosts down to -5°C. Does not droop even after the first snow falls.
Lark's Tongue
The value of the variety is the strictly pyramidal shape of the plant and majestic growth up to 1.5 m. The leaves are large, on a large petiole, up to 70 cm in total length, flat, lacy, with a scalloped edge. This leafy form of cabbage does not form a head.
The lower leaves are green and gradually fade into rich pink, snow-white or purple.
Conclusion
Each of the popular varieties and hybrids of ornamental cabbage deserves a place on the flowerbed and table - almost all ornamental brassicas are edible. Their leaves are not bitter and are used to decorate various dishes, cook summer soups and prepare fresh vegetable salads.