Illustration
Ornamental Kale
Brassica oleracea
Ornamental Kale is grown for its foliage rather than flowers, giving the garden structure and color all season long.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Ornamental Kale
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 2–11. Expect it to reach about 12 in tall and 16 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Ornamental Kale
Wait until all danger of frost has passed, then plant out Ornamental Kale into warm soil; in most zones that means late spring.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Ornamental Kale get?
12 intall5 ft 7 inan adult16 inwideSee Ornamental Kale in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Ornamental Kale
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Ornamental Kale about 16 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Ornamental Kale to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Ornamental Kale's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 8 published sources on July 30, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionBrassica oleracea, wild cabbage, the species pageheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finder (Brassica oleracea (Acephala Group), kale / ornamental ka...height, spread, hardiness zones and sun
- NC State ExtensionBrassica oleracea Ornamental Kale Groupheight, spread, sun and trait tags
- brunswick.ces.ncsu.eduNC State Extension, Brunswick County Center news (Brassica oleracea, o...height, spread and sun
- University of Wisconsin HorticultureOrnamental cabbage and kale, Brassica oleraceaheight, spread and sun
- University of Arkansas ExtensionOrnamental Kale, Brassica oleracea var. acephalaheight and sun
- University of Florida IFASUF/IFAS Extension Charlotte County blog (flowering kale and cabbage, f...sun and trait tags
- University of Illinois ExtensionOrnamental Cabbage and Kaleheight
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 4 varieties
Same plant, same care - pick the variety you are growing.
Compare every variety in the Ornamental Kale group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chidori | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 2–11 | Full sun | 12 in × 16 in |
| Nagoya Red | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 2–11 | Full sun | 12 in × 16 in |
| Ornamentalthis page | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 2–11 | Full sun | 12 in × 16 in |
| Pink | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 2–11 | Full sun | 12 in × 16 in |
| White | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 2–11 | Full sun | 12 in × 16 in |
Good to know about Ornamental Kale
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
You plant it into the cold and lose it to warmth: the pink and purple color only develops as temperatures fall and frost arrives, then spring warmth makes it bolt. per NC State and Wisconsin
Actually edible, just bitter
It is a true Brassica oleracea: the leaves are edible and non-toxic, just more bitter than culinary kale, so it is grown for looks not the plate. per NC State and Wisconsin
Same pests as cabbage
Being the same species as edible cabbage, it gets the same pests: imported cabbageworms, cabbage loopers, and cabbage aphids that hide deep in the leaf folds. per NC State and UC ANR
Very cold-hardy
Once they have settled in, the plants shrug off hard frost, are cold-hardy to about 5 F, and hold their color well into November and December. per NC State and Wisconsin
Plant it deep
Wisconsin advises burying the stem so the lowest leaves sit flush with the soil surface, which keeps the low rosette stable. per Wisconsin
What pairs well with Ornamental Kale
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Sneezeweed
Shares full sun and moderate water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Perennial Sunflower
Shares full sun and moderate water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Joe Pye Weed
Shares full sun and moderate to high water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 6 ft, for the layer behind it.
Feather Reed Grass
Shares full sun and moderate water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Little Bluestem
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Boxwood
Shares full sun and moderate water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it.
Fountain Grass
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; taller at 3.5 ft, for the layer behind it.
Gardenia
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate to high water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; taller at 4 ft, for the layer behind it.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.