September 16, 1998

As I walk around the garden, I find several bare spots where summer annuals had grown and faded away.  If I don't do anything about it, these spots will gradually grow larger as other plants, both annual and perennial, die or go dormant for the winter.   Unless I do something about it, some of these spots will look like the vacant lot after the circus leaves town.  So what to do?  Plant some pansies and ornamental cabbage and kale.

Wait a minute, you say.  Here it is, just a couple months from winter and you're recommending planting annuals?  Well, the fact is, pansies, kale, and cabbage will thrive in the cool weather of fall and early winter.  Last year, for example, the pansies planted in downtown Kewanee bloomed all winter long.

About ten years ago, pansies became the rage and plant breeders went nuts creating pansies with huge blossoms, some with happy faces, and others in solid colors of purple, yellow, burgundy, red, white, blue and even black..  Later, soft pastel shades in pale colors of yellow, blue, and pink took the spotlight.  At the same time, fall planting became popular with the gardening public.  Breeders made special efforts to boost the natural cold-hardiness of pansies.  As a result, pansies now grace doorway planters and garden borders late into winter.

Ornamental cabbage and kale are good companions for fall pansies.  They belong to the genus Brassica, which claims all the relatives of cabbage, including mustard, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, and kohlrabi.  That explains why these plants resemble each other so much when they bolt and go to seed.  All these plants are very cold tolerant.  Once acclimated to outside conditions, ornamental cabbage and kale can withstand temperatures as low as 5 degrees without injury, making them good candidates for autumn gardens and planters.

Although the flowering brassicas are readily available in the spring as bedding plants, they perform much better when planted to mature in the fall.  Flowering kale has frilly, curly leaves while the leaves of cabbages are broad and flat.  Both come in various combinations of pink, green, white, and rosy purple.

A large pot can be planted up with a garden mum in the center, surrounded by pansies and kale.  When the mum is finished, it can be removed and the kale will grow to fill the space.  Spikes and vinca vine left over from summer pots can be used to good effect in fall planters with pansies and kale.  I have several window boxes already planted with ornamental kale and pansies for the autumn season.