54 
ORCHFVRD 
GARDEN 
Makch, 1839. 
Oruameiital-leaved Vegetables. 
There are not a few table vegetables that 
are entitled to consideration as ornamental- 
leaved plants for the flower garden, the 
green-house, and the sitting-room. A sug- 
gestion like this will doubtless, at first sight, 
run counter to the prejudices of a good 
many; but, happily, they are prejudices 
that may be overcome in the minds of many, 
if not of all. If a plant grown in the kitch- 
en garden as a table vegetable is beautiful 
in itself, will it be less so if grown in the 
flower garden or in a pot in the green-house? 
There is a good taste that appreciates beauty 
in all its forms, wherever seen, whether in 
a palace or in a cot, and is especially sen- 
sitive to beauty in Nature, where it dom- 
inates nearly all the works of creation. 
Some plants originally introduced as 
vegetables have quietly passed into the 
flower garden, where they have secured 
a permanent home, and are much ad- 
mired. It may be said of them, however, 
that they are free from the coarse or 
weedy appearance which may be justly 
urged against the introduction of any 
plant into the flower garden while we 
have so many plants that are free from 
this objection. Some of the coarsest 
inmates of the kitchen garden, however, 
are developing striking forms and beau- 
tiful colors, and this should be a matter 
for congratulation. If things go on in 
this way, it would not be surprising if a 
time should come when the aesthetic girl 
of the period, taking a morning walk in 
the kitchen garden, might say of almost 
any of its inmates, “Isn’t it just lovely ! 
It’s almost too pretty to eat.” So may it 
be: but probably not in the near future. 
The reader will now doubtless be pre- 
pared to hear us recommend some vari. 
eties of Kale and Beets as fit subjects for 
the flower garden. These are, it is true, 
somewhat plebeian subjects, and may 
not rank in beauty with the more refined 
and aristocratic Croton, Dracaena, or Co- 
leus; but they have this advantage, that 
many who do not or can not grow the lat- 
ter, may grow the former with but little 
trouble and expense, and have something 
that is pretty to look at and good to eat. 
They may, in fact, be made beautiful ob- 
jects all winter. The impecunious farmer or 
villager living remote from plant centers 
may for a few cents purchase seed enough 
of these plants to ornament a large border. 
The artist, in Fig. 1566, has shown how 
effectively the Kales or Borecoles may be 
arranged in a vase or stand. The subject 
is not overdone; on the contrary it is very 
truthful to Nature. There are a number of 
pretty kinds of Kale with beautifully curled 
foliage, and one at least with finely divided 
or laciniated leaves, as shown in the illus- 
tration. The colors are green, yellow, and 
purple, and some have striped or variegated 
foliage, often used for garnishing. Some 
grow tall and others are dwarf. The latter 
are best for our purpose, though three or 
four plants of a tall variety may be used 
effectively in the center of a bed or in the 
border. 
Kale or Borecole ( Brassica oleracea fimbri- 
ata) belongs to the cabbage family, but dif- 
fers from the cabbage by not forming a sol- 
id head, and from the cauliflower in not 
producing edible flowers. It is grown, 
therefore, in the same way as cabbage, and 
is just as easily transplanted. It is largely 
grown for some city markets, and is highly 
esteemed as a fall and winter green by our 
German friends. After being touched by 
the frost its color is heightened, and it be- 
comes a delicious vegetable, which is not 
as well known as it should be. We prefer 
ORNAMENTAL KALE. Fig. 1666. 
it to the cabbage. It is hardy enough to 
withstand the winter. 
The following dwarf varieties are all good 
for ornamental purposes: Curled Green 
Scotch, Curled Green Erfurt, Curled Yel- 
low, Curled Brown, and Mosback Winter. 
The Curled Brown is really a dark purple, 
and the color becomes very pronounced on 
the occurrence of frost. The following are 
variegated-. Curled Red Variegated, Curled 
White Variegated, and Melville’s Improved 
Variegated, in which several colors are 
blended. Add to these the Cut-leaved Red. 
The tall varieties, if carefully grown, would 
look well in the border, but the dwarf kinds 
will probably be most esteemed, especially 
where any thing in the way of bedding or 
grouping is attempted. Sow early, and 
transplant while the plants are small, if 
not where they are to grow, at least in some 
place where they will not be crowded, to be 
transplanted again where they are to stand. 
Set the plants always up to the first leaf, 
and keep the surface of the ground level. 
Nothing further will be needed except kill- 
ing the weeds as soon as they appear. The 
plants should be set from twelve to eighteen 
inches apart if massed. 
It must be added that Kale does not de- 
velop its full beauty till midsummer is 
past, and the cool nights of autumn come. 
The sharp frost that robs the flower garden 
of its chief charms only serves to add to the 
Kale a beauty which it maintains all win- 
ter. This characteristic might be taken 
advantage of to convert the empty beds and 
borders into a handsome winter garden: at 
least something more attractive than the 
colored glass and pebbles we read of as be- 
ing used for the same purpose. Filling the 
empty bedswould not involve much trouble, 
for Kale is readily transplanted at any 
time if carefully lifted. The reward for 
the labor will be not only something to 
gratify the eye, but a delicious dish of 
greens many times during the winter. 
You have your Kale, and eat it too. 
A few words must be added about the 
ornamental-leaved Beets. A few of these 
have already found their way into the 
flower garden. The Chilian and Brazil- 
ian Beets are remarkable for their large 
leaves and brilliant colors. (See Fig. 1565). 
Of the Chilian we have the Chilian Mam- 
moth, the Scarlet Ribbed, and the Yel- 
low Ribbed, and the ribs look like tinted 
pearl, while the blade of the leaf i6 a 
carpet work of brilliant color. Of the 
Brazilian we have the Scarlet Veined, 
the Crimson Veined, and the Golden Vein- 
ed. Then there are Dell’s Black, Ne Plus 
Ultra, and Victoria, all having ornament- 
al foliage. These beets do not produce 
edible roots, but the leaves are used as a 
spinach, and the fleshy ribs, prepared 
like asparagus, make a very palatable 
™pdish; a happy combination of the useful 
and the beautiful. To the above must 
^ be added the Dracaena-leaved Beet, which 
produces an edible root, and is, in fact, 
a form of the common garden beet, with 
dark, slender, slightly recurved leaves hav- 
ing a metallic luster, and in general appear- 
ance resembling some of the Dracamas. It 
makes a good pot plant, there being noth- 
ing coarse or weedy about it. 
There is nothing peculiar in the culture 
of these Beets. It is the same as that of 
the common garden Beet. They transplant 
readily, and may be grown in the border or 
in pots, the Dracaana-leaved being best 
for pots on account of its smaller foliage. 
All of them may be lifted from the ground 
in the fall, and potted. Some of them, how- 
ever, should be left in the ground, as they 
retain their handsome foliage for some time 
after most other inmates of the garden have 
been killed by frost. The Chilian Beets ex- 
hibited by Hallock & Son were the only 
plants that survived three weeks of the hot, 
dry air of the American Institute Fair. They 
