Re: Ornamental Kale

In a message dated 11/7/02 11:22:13 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
corgilover@wi.rr.com writes:


> > Have to admit they do make a nice display ... in other
> > people's gardens.

This quote is from Gene.  Don't they look strange to anyone else in an 
ornamental design.  They look like frilly cabbages to me and persist lying 
about amongst dead and brown perennials.  One of the funniest things I have 
seen is flower boxes in front of fine shops and fussy restaurants in Boston 
filled with these plants in the dead of winter.  Having been a vegetable 
gardener once, I can't treat these plants seriously.  Boston flower boxes 
full of funny cabbages is truly peculiar to me.  Once it would have been  
conifer greens and something called red ruscus.

In other parts of the country, warmer places, the kales may be more 
ornamental.  Here in cold zones we just give up and accept winter.  Anything 
that wants to be active in the cold months is on it's own, nobody is going 
outdoors to have a look.  I have read numerous articles on winter gardens and 
regret to say that they are not for zone 4.  In a way, the complete absence 
of garden activity in the winter months is a good thing.  You can refresh 
your thinking, get a rest and look forward to spring with an enthusiasm not 
found if you need to keep at it 12 months a year.

Claire Peplowski
NYS z4

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index