I ask you, at $1.25 each, who could resist? In mid-January, no less. I don’t know how long they’ll last but at that price I don’t care.
The only real challenge to loving my new cabagges is forgetting how they’re used commercially - the dreaded "bedding out" - and just seeing their beauty. Up-close helps. And I finally discovered the technique of plopping them, pot and all, inside another pot for a quick planting solution, so to speak.
These guys and some 20- to 50-cent Christmas ornaments are souvenirs of my trip yesterday to Behnke’s, my main nursery. It was my first nursery visit of the year and I don’t have to tell you, readers, how much fun that is, even with very little to buy. So cabbages it is and I’m happy to have ‘em.
The purpose of my trip was to hear a talk on the culture of gardening and its relationship with the environment - big topic - and you’ll be hearing lots more cuz it was chock full of amazing history and provocative notions.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Alice 01.22.06 at 4:05 pm
The colours in the ornamental cabbages or kale are stunning. We don’t see them used that often here as they need to cold to enhance the colour. I have grown them, although it’s been a race to see if they would reach any sort of maturity before the grubs ate them competely. I first saw them in England and they really brightened up a winter garden.
Looking forward to reading more about the lecture you went to.
Heather 01.22.06 at 7:28 pm
I like them potted like that. Totally share your, uh, lack of enthusiasm for them as a “filler” plant. They’re quite sculptural when they’re a bit larger. Though I don’t like them so much when the stalks get long and they start to look gangly.
Rachel 01.23.06 at 3:54 pm
I think they are lovely and you got a great bargain!!
Judith 01.23.06 at 5:15 pm
I used to think of ornamental cabbages as being tacky until I travelled one winter in England and saw them displayed in windowboxes & little gardens–I fell in love w/them and came home to try them out. The colors are vibrant & I like that. They did well when the winters were mild, but it seems we, in zone 5a, haven’t had a mild enough winter in a few yrs. Yours look great! — Me too, looking forward to reading about the lecture…
Nelumbo 01.25.06 at 12:01 am
I noticed these in the Atlanta Botanical Garden this winter- didn’t realize they were so hardy!
Gardening crash-test dummy 01.26.06 at 8:23 pm
I am so into kale at the moment. I saw them at a garden wedding I went to late last year and was suddenly inspired when I saw that the owner of the garden had let them go to seed. The were like a flourescent version of Statice and were so appealling.
Well done Susan - good bargain hunting.