Ornamental cabbage (varieties and names will be discussed in the article) conquers flower growers and gardeners around the world. Its bright appearance makes an empty autumn garden more colorful. From afar, it looks like an unusual openwork flower. The plant is resistant to the first frost and unpretentious in care. Can you eat its colorful foliage?
History of Appearance
Ornamental cabbage existed in the distant past. But the ancient Greeks used it as cattle feed. Even then, there was a species with smooth leaves and curly.
For a long time, breeders have bred many varieties. The Japanese did a good job in this regard, they brought out very popular varieties.
Known Species
There are many varieties of ornamental cabbage. Plants are annual and perennial, smooth-leaved and openwork, without a core and with a loose head, all kinds of colors.
Most popular types of cabbage:
- Lark's tongue is a palm plant. The leaves are curly, green. They grow on petioles, the length of which reaches twenty centimeters.
- Kai and Gerda - a mixture of green-emerald and purple-purple leaves that grow up to fifty centimeters. The variety is relatively new.
- Colors of the East - one of those varieties that are resistant to cold. The rosette is painted with a smooth transition from gray-green to dark purple. The leaves are rounded with curled edges.
- Lace mosaic - is very popular among gardeners. Leaf rosettes are openwork. Can be dyed in one of the following colors: white, green, purple, cream. The plant looks incredibly gentle.
- Robin - grows up to one and a half meters in height. The leaves are corrugated, painted in fuchsia. The variety is very tenacious, as it tolerates frost well and is practically not susceptible to diseases.
- Tokyo - the core is bright, and the lower leaves are emerald in color. The plant grows to a maximum of thirty centimeters.
- Nagoya - the plant looks powerful, reaches a height of sixty centimeters. The leaves are lacy red or white.
- Osaka - the leaves of the plant are straight and corrugated. Their color is usually white or pink.
- Piglon - the plant resembles a rose bud. It looks elegant despite its small size. Its leaves have a delicate pink color. The leaves are most often corrugated.
- Princess - the leaves are not large, strongly corrugated. Their color can be red, yellow, white.
There are many species that have spots and stripes of various shades on green leaves. Most of the varieties sold are biennials. In the first year they grow and delight with colorful foliage, and in the second year they bloom and produce seeds. They can be collected or bought. When purchasing seeds, it is important to look at the size of an adult plant in order to plant it in the most successful place. Although, if necessary, the flower can always be transplanted.
Soil
The soil for future ornamental cabbage should consist of sand, peat, earth. The resulting mixture should be poured over with boiling water or a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Then it can be poured into a container.
Better to buy a special soil in the store. But planting in ordinary land, which is available in the garden, is not desirable. Then you won't have to be disappointed in seeds and seedlings.
Sowing seeds
Ornamental cabbage propagated by seeds. Planting them is not particularly difficult, so even a novice gardener can grow one of the varieties. Seeds are purchased from distributors.
They are sown in March-April. It is important to consider that seedlings are poorly accepted in hot rooms. You need to choose cool, but well-lit areas. For this, a balcony, loggia, veranda is suitable.
Seeds are placed in moist soil. The depth should be one centimeter. To make sprouts appear faster, you can cover the sowing with a film and place the container in a warm environment. Of course, do not forget about ventilation. And after the appearance of the first sprouts, the temperaturemode needs to be lowered. Usually the temperature should be 10-12 °C. It is also required to provide seedlings with maximum illumination.
When the first true leaves appear, the plants are planted in separate containers. It is better to use peat pots. Everything must be done carefully and accurately. To remove seedlings from the ground, it is better to use a special spatula so as not to damage the roots. Subsequent care involves watering, fertilizing, adding soil as the seedlings grow.
Planting seedlings in open ground
Planting ornamental cabbage outdoors is acceptable when the seedlings are eighty days old. If planted later, cabbage may develop poorly. Between plants there should be a distance of at least thirty centimeters. Ornamental cabbage seedlings generally do well with minimal maintenance.
Features of care
Of course, plants need to be monitored. Weeds grow on their own. Caring for ornamental cabbage means timely watering, weeding, fertilizing the soil.
Key recommendations for cabbage growers:
- Loosen the soil once a week after wetting. Then the roots will be completely saturated with oxygen.
- Weeding will improve the development and growth of the plant.
- If necessary, cabbage can be transplanted. To do this, it is dug up with the ground to a new place and watered abundantly.
Water and fertilize
When growing ornamental cabbage, it is important to water it in time. It is best to do this in the morning or at sunset. During a severe drought, it is necessary to moisten the earth daily. But do not fall on the leaves with water when the sun is shining. This will cause burns and spoil the appearance of the plant.
Feeding the plant is required once every seven to ten days. Mineral fertilizers are suitable for this. But manure is not the best choice. Its use will lead to an increase in the size of cabbage leaves and their acquisition of green color. That is, the gardener will not be able to enjoy the pink color of Piglon (a variety that looks like a rose).
Pest control
Ornamental kale, which is being considered for planting and care, needs attention in relation to pests. White butterflies, slugs, rodents can attack its leaves and roots. In addition to a spoiled appearance, the plant may die.
Pest prevention measures:
- Slugs and insects will not be able to get to the plant if the soil around it is sprinkled with ash or needles.
- Butterflies and slugs can be destroyed with a superphosphate solution.
- Leaves should be regularly inspected and, if necessary, removed from pests and their eggs.
- The calendula planted nearby repels pests well. Dill and basil have the same properties.
High efficiency in pest control is shown by such drugs as Bitoxibacillin, Lepidocid. However, you should be careful with chemicals if cabbage is supposed touse for food.
Also ornamental varieties can become victims of fungal diseases. Often this is due to over-watering and poor soil drainage. Water stagnates in the soil for a long time, which leads to negative consequences.
Wintering conditions
In general, ornamental cabbage is a fairly hardy plant. Proper care will allow you to admire its leaves before the arrival of severe frosts. Some varieties tolerate temperatures below 10°C.
Perennial varieties can be saved for next year. To do this, the bush is dug up in the fall along with an earthen clod. All leaves are cut off, leaving only the top ones. The plant is placed in a dry, well-ventilated area and dug into the sand. It won't let the roots dry out. So, cabbage will remain until spring. You can return it to open ground when the snow melts.
Taste
Most ornamental cabbages are edible. In terms of taste, culinary experts believe that leafy varieties are tastier than headed varieties. Nagoya is distinguished by its delicate red and white leaves. It is grown for the preparation of side dishes on an industrial scale.
The taste of the leaves becomes even better after the first frost. However, only young leaves are worth eating, as they are the most tender. Before eating, they are washed with running water. Do not soak the leaves in water so that they do not lose vitamins with mineral s alts.
Some cooks prefer boiling water over the leaves. Other cooks leave briefly in the pancovered, no water added. There, its leaves will be slightly extinguished and will not have time to lose color. They are also added to sauces, mashed soups, served with boiled rice. Salads on pink or white sheets look especially festive. Plus, they can be eaten. Children who do not like vegetables may be interested in an unusual look and eat he althy leaves.
Decorative qualities
The main goal pursued by the breeders of ornamental varieties of cabbage was to decorate gardens, parks, household plots. There are many variations on how these plants can be planted.
Several options that will guide gardeners in creating individual landscape compositions:
- Low-growing branched varieties look perfect surrounded by coniferous or deciduous shrubs.
- With the help of various varieties of cabbage, you can create all kinds of ornaments and patterns in the garden.
- Plants well suited for hanging and vertical flowerbeds.
- Cabbage can be planted in a large pot. Looks good at once several plants in one flowerpot. It can be placed at the entrance to the alley, on the balcony. Everything depends on fantasy. The pot option is very advantageous, because until the cabbage reaches its most beautiful appearance, it can be kept in an inconspicuous place. And then put it at the entrance to the house, filling autumn with bright colors.
- You can also hide the plant in the garden in advance. First, plant it on unsightly beds, and then transplant it to prominent areas, to places of fadedannual plantations.
- The plant can be cut at the root by placing it in a vase of water. Such a bouquet will delight with its delightful appearance for a little less than a month. Guests will definitely appreciate an interesting bouquet and will hardly be able to immediately guess what it is.
Each variety of ornamental cabbage is worthy of taking its place in the garden. An unusual plant attracts with its bright appearance, frost resistance. Cabbage powdered with snow looks very impressive. And in a large pot, she will delight the eye until the New Year.
