In the fall, chrysanthemums and pansies are the predominant plants offered for seasonal color. But another group of cold-tolerant plants can brighten the fall garden when almost everything else is looking tired and ready for winter. Ornamental cabbage and kale are the same species as edible cabbages, broccoli, and cauliflower (Brassica oleracea), but they have much fancier and more colorful foliage than their cousins from the vegetable garden.

While these plants are sometimes offered as “flowering” cabbage and kale, they are grown for their large rosettes of colorful leaves, not their flowers. These plants are very showy and come in a variety of colors, ranging from white to pinks, purples, and reds. Even though they are technically all kales (kale does not produce a head; instead, it produces leaves in a tight rosette), by convention those types with deeply-cut, frilly leaves are called ornamental kale, while those with broad, flat leaves often edged in a contrasting color are called ornamental cabbage. The plants usually grow about a foot wide and 15 inches tall.