The thrill of a new plant

Every fall I plant lots of flowering kale, it's beautiful and tough, lasting most of the winter showing off colors of purple and white. I was floored when I walked into Hahn Nursery and saw this tall variety. It's so wonderful to discover a new plant. When you start gardening it happens every day, then every week and eventually months pass until a new variety is found. My mind is racing, thinking of how to use it, where to plant it.

Finally I had a plant that worked as a vertical element in this container. It's right outside the greenhouse and one of the first things people see when they drive up to the house. It's unusual enough to get lots of questions, especially from gardening friends. I hope I can find more of them; I want to plant them in containers after frost when the tender annuals finish. It's part of my obsession to keep the garden going as long as possible.

It will be interesting to see how it holds up against its prostrate cousins. It's really going to really pop after the first snow.

Isn't it cool?