Hardy or sensitive to frost?

Ornamental cabbage comes from Japan

Of the edible ornamental cabbage originally from Japan, where it was specially bred for its colored leaves. The plant is therefore used to cool temperatures. Like all types of cabbage, it is annual and is usually not overwintered.

Unlike most other ornamental plants, you care Ornamental cabbage not because of its flowers, but because of its red, yellow and green-white leaves, which become a colorful focal point in the garden or on the terrace in autumn and winter.

The flower develops in the following spring. It is worthwhile to bring the not completely hardy ornamental cabbage over the winter, because the yellow flowers form a very nice contrast to the leaves. If you want to propagate ornamental cabbage yourself, you must either overwinter the plant in a pot in the greenhouse or protect it from frost outdoors.

How to overwinter ornamental cabbage

• Cover the ornamental cabbage outdoors
• Place the ornamental cabbage in the bucket, light but frost-free
• preferably overwinter in a cool greenhouse

If you want to overwinter ornamental cabbage outdoors, you should give preference to red species, as these are best able to withstand cold temperatures.

Yellow and white-leaved ornamental cabbage is better cared for in the bucket. The plant can be easily placed in a cool winter garden over the winter.

In the spring, take the pot outside and wait for it to bloom. When the ornamental cabbage has faded, collect seeds for propagation. The plant is then torn up and disposed of.

Don't forget to water in mild winters

Ornamental cabbage survives a mild winter outdoors. It just can't get colder than minus 8 degrees. To be on the safe side, you should wrap the plant in foil when the weather forecast predicts sharply falling temperatures.

You must not forget to water ornamental cabbage in a mild winter. Otherwise the leaves will dry out and the cabbage will die.