Well....keep the rabbits away! They love the stuff when it's young. It won't look like much until about mid September....but it will last well past frost and into December providing color and form, so plant it where it will show when other annuals have frozen.
Linda C

just found this looking for Kale help: see below.
Can I plant the plants in containers without freezing
the roots when late fall begins? It's stil 80's & 90's daytime and 60-70's nites here in my Z4. Most Unusual for
this heat and constant humidity along with too too much rain to boot. Hope you can advise me, Jaemy

* Posted by lindac Iowa Z 5/4 (My Page) on
Thu, Apr 20, 06 at 9:54

Well....keep the rabbits away! They love the stuff when it's young. It won't look like much until about mid September....
but it will last well past frost and into December providing color and form, so plant it where it will show when other annuals have frozen.
Linda C

forums is close enough ....

but you will have a killing frost by what.. oct 1st ...

what do you expect from these plants in the next 30 to 45 days????

enjoy the heck out of them ... just dont set your expectations too high ...

ken

Linda has it right and she's in a more exposed mid-west climate. They last until January in S.E. Ohio doing OK through frosts and freezes until they just finally give up sometime after Christmas.

I start mine in June, usually and put them out into the earth. They'll do better, get larger if planted in situ. I usually grow Peacock variety with lots of frills and frizz. Both the purple and the green. Nice edging plant. Yes, rabbits can get to them and we have lots of bunnies here, but when I plant them, I plant dozens and dozens of them, and for the most part they outnumber what the rabbits will eat because the bunnies are out in my veggie garden and into my cabbage plants....... my biggest nemesis are the cabbage worms.

I agree with the above, I plant them out in May/June in 5B and they don't do much until the cooler weather rolls in Sept/Oct. Then they get big, vivid and beautiful. They keep their color well into Dec/Jan even with a heavy freeze and snowfall. I do nothing to them when they are in the ground. No water, fertilizer ect and they are pest free for me (even the bunnies leave them alone). Very easy to grow and they are quite something in a fall arrangement.

Enjoy!

Keriann~

I agree with the above, I plant them out in May/June in 5B and they don't do much until the cooler weather rolls in Sept/Oct. Then they get big, vivid and beautiful. They keep their color well into Dec/Jan even with a heavy freeze and snowfall. I do nothing to them when they are in the ground. No water, fertilizer ect and they are pest free for me (even the bunnies leave them alone). Very easy to grow and they are quite something in a fall arrangement.

Enjoy!

Keriann~

I use ornamental kale in my fall arrangements. They will survive many frosts and often look nice until it is time to switch out for winter arrangements. Sometimes they look so good that I will then transplant them to a spot where I can see them outside my window or pass by on the way to the compost bin.

While I grow o.k. in the ground I prefer using ones that I buy from nurseries or big box stores in the fall as they are not as huge and sprawly as the ones growing in my garden beds. Those in beds can be transplanted into containers though they may wilt for several days but should perk up.

I grew up in NE SD, Britton, and would take a plant to my mother to add to her fall arrangements. She had so many compliments on them as oranmental kale was an unusual plant in her area.

Those white moths are hoovering around my ornamental kale. How do I preemptively keep worms from eating hole in the kale?

BT (dipel) or sevin. Sevin will not be too toxic to other lepidoptera, as there are no blooms and only those who habituate cole crops will be landing on it.

HOOOOOORAY....................I just transplanted my Kale/Cabbage Roses as suggested above,right where I can enjoy them and so will the neighbors.............I previously inquired about the time frames to plant or not to plant in the heat etc....I now have all the answers and
You Guys Rock! Can't garden without this G.W.and the superb answers/cooperation from ya'll who so generously help me...........
Smiles, FlowerBrackob