Annual / color · North Texas care guide
Brassica oleracea
Nursery Pro tip: The colder it gets, the brighter the color. Fall through February.
Grown for the leaves, not flowers — rosettes of purple, pink, cream and green that get more colorful the colder it gets. Kale has ruffled or feathery leaves; cabbage forms a tighter cabbage-like head. They hold their look from November to April.
Full sun brings the strongest color. Well-drained bed with compost. Space 12–15 in apart — they get wider than they look in the pot.
October and November, while the soil is still warm enough to root them. Set them at the same depth, Root Stimulator, light mulch. Buy them already colored up if you want an instant effect; color develops with cold, not time.
Weekly through the cool season; they're leafy and drink more than pansies.
A feeding at planting and once or twice through winter. Don't overfeed — too much nitrogen gives big green leaves and washed-out color.
Remove yellowing lower leaves. When they bolt in spring — sending up a tall yellow flower stalk — pull them; the show is over.
Cabbage loopers and harlequin bugs chew holes in fall; treat with Bt or spinosad. Aphids in the center of the rosette in a mild winter.
Dramatic with pansies and violas around them, or a single large kale centered in a winter pot with dianthus at its feet.
Written for Rockwall's black clay, heat and winters by the Landscape Source team. Every yard is different — bring a photo by, or ask LS-Ai, and we'll tailor it to your spot.