Planting in November?

I love flowering kale, look at that color. They thrive in cold weather too. Photos by Doug Oster

I've fallen in love with this tall 'Redbor' kale. It's perfect combined with pansies. Both will offer color for at least the first half of winter.

It might seem strange to be gardening this late in the season, but two plants in particular will thrive deep into winter.

I always plant flowering kale and pansies as the annuals fade. Usually around the second week of October, but believe it or not, I've still got impatiens and coleus in the garden. They look sad and will be gone soon, it's time to put them out of their misery. It's been a long growing season.

I'm substituting the tender container plants with these hardy varieties.

Lets look at the garden timeline for my pots. March 17th pansies are planted in containers close to the house, then more in two weeks along with some other tough cool weather flowers. They were replaced in July with discounted annuals. Now we're back to pansies and of course the flowering kale.

Both will add color and shake off cold temperatures. If the pansies are kept watered, many will often winter over, especially in a mild season. The kale will go until January until it gets bitter cold.

Site them where they can be seen from inside the house, or walking up to the front door.

You'll be surprised how a few plants will bring a smile after slogging through a few inches of wet snow.

When the winter sun is right, the kale explodes with color.

Another type of flowering kale is illuminated by the low winter sun.