‘Scarlet Bor’ in an arrangement, already a deep purple

Kale is a subset of the brassicas, a large class of cool weather vegetables including cabbage, brussel sprouts, mustard, and collards. We often focus on the ornamental value of a kale, regardless of whether it’s edible or not. It’s surprising how many varieties from the vegetable garden can come out front into display beds.

For most design situations, we turn to one of the three bears of kale: the Nagoyas, the Bors, or the Yokohamas. Whether you need round and feathered, tall and ruffled, or tight and frilly, one of these three families is usually just right.

Make the landscape pop with ‘Toto Lemon’ rudbeckia

Dark and mysterious works with autumn décor but sometimes we want to lighten the mood a little. Bright hits of yellow are in keeping with the warm theme of the season and pop against the dark red and purple of many fall foliage plants. Here are a few outside-the-mum ideas for illuminating the landscape in gold:

Incredibly dark ‘Scarlet Bor’

Wednesday is National Kale Day—yes, it has a day. Kale is a super food after all, and from a landscaping point of view it’s often an eye-catching ornamental. ‘Scarlet Bor’ is our case in point, one of the most beautiful kales you’ll find. It’s also one of the most delicious so this plant truly is worth celebrating.

‘Purple Flash’—the focus is on the foliage

Ornamental peppers are integral to fall sales, offering an alternative to flowering mums and pansies with their colorful fruits and foliage. In an assortment of shapes and sizes the peppers themselves bring an added dimension of texture to autumn decor. We find that picking a purple pepper puts a unique spin on displays for fall so here are three distinct takes on this compelling Capsicum color: