Thank goodness there is kale for winter color.We've had our coldest day of the winter at 22 degrees and everything that was blooming is a memory. So, I am so very appreciative of the winter kale and cabbages that I've planted here and there in the garden. This is my favorite~~ I love the lacy texture.
With no snow white blanket over the garden~~ kales and cabbages are important winter color. But that's not all...They survive winter assaults and keep on looking good for most of the winter here in our zone 7-ish garden. Here's what you can look forward to each spring. 
Sweet yellow blooms that look especially nice with the tulips. You'll also have loads of little fluttering Cabbage White Butterflies for most of the summer. There are no photos of them in the C&L archives to show you. They are nearly impossible to capture ....But, they are one of the most common little butterflies in the USA and you've probably all seen them. Now, if you want these nice yellow flowers, you'll have to forgo the temptation to pull the scraggly looking plant out in late winter or early spring.
Just let those surviving plants alone and they will set buds and bloom...They are so worth it for me. 
Maybe not if you're growing broccoli and cabbages~~You can always use row covers to protect those crops from the cabbage white lopers;-) Don't the yellow flowers look especially sweet with violas? (flowering kale spring 2009)Did you mind the fast forward to spring? Shall we get back to the now!
The little birds are here almost every morning. They arrive once the sun peaks over the tree tops and warms up the patio. They are fun to watch and occasionally a good photo can be captured through the glass doors.
They jostle each other for space on the feeder...
It might be time to fill all the feeders! 
One of my favorite little guys...Mr Tufted Titmouse! Isn't he a perky little fellow! He's waiting for me to replace the suet.Speaking of birds, I wanted to show you this photo from my trip to Providence. We were on our way out of town and chanced to look out the hotel window to see this sight~
What do you suppose the pigeons know about the roof at this house? Camouflage? Warmth? Group think? Don't laugh, pigeons actually do have flock behavior~~When one pigeon flies about looking for predators they all follow suit. We waited quite a while for the elevator and they never flew away. What a fascinating roost....I hope their tootsies were warm....and the folks living there don't mind.Thanks for joining me on Mish Mash Monday~The brainchild of Monica of Garden Faerie's Musings.
I do hope you've all had a wonderfully peaceful and restful weekend.
Gail
Yep, had a wonderful weekend. Seeing those pigeons on the rooftop makes me wonder why they choose a certain house to roost on. You know there are many houses that have warm roofs due to lack of insulation so why do they choose a certain one?? We have mostly house sparrows at our feeders. Ugh... It is fun to see your feathered friends.
ReplyDeleteAh, Lisa makes a good point. I was going to say that maybe this house had a finished heated attic space and was warmer than the other houses. Lisa knows best when it comes to birds though, and other things! The kale and birdies are wonderfully captured. The titmice are so sweet, a favorite at our feeders as well.
ReplyDeleteFrances
Hey there Gail girl ! I love the kale .. those colours in the garden are so pretty : )
ReplyDeleteWe can get a little nervous when flocks congregate at certain times .. living by Lake Ontario, when birds come in to land and gather (aside from warming their tootsies) it is a sure sign of rough to extremely bad weather blowing around the lake .. weather people here call it "lake affect" go figure eh ? LOL
Joy
Tulips and kale...I'll have to remember that one! They looked fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI kept meaning to buy kale this fall and never did; now my garden is strictly variations of brown and gray. I'm going to enjoy those purples vicariously in your garden. I had never thought of letting them bloom through spring--that's a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI'm spending more time watching the birds, too, Gail. We had our first dusting of snow this morning with more to come, so I'd better make sure the feeders are full!
Whew, that house looks like a dangerous place to be outside after the pigeons decide to fly! The kale looks great, I've thought about them but never seem to get around to planting them.
ReplyDeleteI've always been ambivalent about the ornamental kales -- but I LOVE the lacy one! What is its name? I've got to grow it next year.
ReplyDeleteWho knew that the kale blossoms were so pretty?! Now I'm really regretting not planting any this year.
ReplyDeleteHow do you get those birds to pose so well for you? I have a whole new appreciation for bird photography since I tried it and learned how hard it is.
Love that lacy cabbage too. I have left cabbages to bolt and flower. Glad to see I am not the only one. They are lovely with your tulips.
ReplyDeleteGail,
ReplyDeleteGood yellow/purple combo with the kale gone to seed. I like it!
The birds are one of the distinct pleasures of winter around here. I quite enjoyed your photos. It sounds trite but the birds make me so happy!
Hi Gail, I've never thought those beautiful ornamental cabbages would do well here because I have hundreds of cabbage butterflies all summer. Enjoyed your birds;)
ReplyDeleteMarnie
Love the kale...now why don't I buy some of those? What beautiful color for now.
ReplyDeleteWhen I am sitting here at the computer...I always see two pigeons on the roof across the street. I wonder if they are the same two everytime?
Balisha
JGH, Thank you~~I shoot through the window with zoom and if I'm lucky the photos are not too grainy.
ReplyDeleteGreensparrow~The kale is one I found at a Big Box Store~~It might be 'Redbor'.
gail
The lacy kale is especially beautiful. You're right, those Cabbage Whites are impossible to get a picture of! You got an incredible picture of the Titmouse. It's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI planted kale this year. I've had trouble with it bolting in the past but I think this winter is going to be a cold one for some reason.
ReplyDeleteRecently, I've found myself taking way too many photos of my ornamental cabbages & kales. I didn't realize that had such pretty blooms. If they make it through the winter (which I doubt), I'll leave them to bloom.
ReplyDeleteGail, I love the color of the kale and your tulip photo is beautiful. Just think: we have only 14 days until the shortest day of the year, and after that, Spring will be on its way. ;)
ReplyDeleteI still have not purchased any kale or cabbage...wonder why? Oh, my rock garden and Irises have been demanding...maybe this weekend I'll see if there are anymore around the nursery!! Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Gail, You do not have deer eating your winter garden I am assuming... kale is one of their favorite plants here... I will have to admire your beautiful photos, as I would never be able to have flowering kale last the winter. It is so lovely in your garden! I love the little Tufted Titmouse and what a great portrait you have!! Perhaps the owner of the roof where the pigeons like to roost feeds the birds? Funny to see them all only on one. I love the colors in this post. Carol
ReplyDeleteHi Gail....I love the bird shots, especially of those in flight. The tufted titmouse is a sweet little bird.....quite charming.
ReplyDeleteI cannot grow Kale......it soon disappears here, probably rabbits....the colour is lovely.
I do not mind you jumping ahead to spring....I was thinking spring today, and feeling quite excited at the prospect of another gardening year......
Great post. I can't wait for spring. I put in well over 600 bulbs this fall!
ReplyDeleteYow, Gail, 22 in Nashville!!! We've got snow and ice here now, too, but the thermometer hasn't hit the 20s yet. So sorry!!! And yes, our kale and Swiss chard and parsley have all pretty much said "Harrumph, who cares about the cold? We're planning to be decorative for a good long time out here."
ReplyDeleteI have some kale plants at the allotment which sadly I don't get to visit much at this time of year. Must plant some in the garden next year. What a great combination with the violas :)
ReplyDeleteI do like the kale flowers, I'll have to leave mine in the ground and see how they look here. It's gotten down into the 20's at night here and barely above freezing in the day so our flowers are finished too.
ReplyDeleteI just love the Tufted Titmouse! We don't see those here, what cuties.
Hi Gail, I didn't know that the ornamental cabbage flowered. I've always admired it & wanted to plant but just never did. Don't know why. Will have to make more effort to get some.
ReplyDeleteLove those little Tufted Titmouse. Wish we had them here. I have only the little house sparrows. They seem to like my hanging plants to rest in at night when it's cold.
Oh I forgot to tell you I have an iris blooming now. I went out into the yard Sat. & was pleasantly shocked to see the bloom. That was Dec. 6. Just before Thanksgiving I had a yellow one to bloom AND my double purple Angel Trumpet is blooming. What a Fall.
ReplyDeleteGail, like others, I didn't know the kale would flower in the spring-if it lives. I wonder if we could protect it enough up here to keep it alive?? It looks lovely with the tulips and viola.
ReplyDeleteLike Lisa, I am feeding mostly house sparrows, but they need to eat too I guess. Occasionaly, I see a cardinal and that makes it worth it.
Stay warm and I hope you don't get the bad weather we are expecting.
Hi Gail! How are you doing these days? I know you're waiting for your surgery...
ReplyDeleteWinter's here - arrived officially today with a bit of snow. We're supposed to get a LOT the next couple of days. We'll see. Sometimes forecasts aren't accurate... and sometimes they are. :-)
What an interesting post! I've never had the pleasure of looking at kale blooms before. How sweet! And yea, your birds are adorable!
ReplyDeleteGreat mishing and mashing! We just put our feeders out Saturday, and haven't seen any birds on them yet. I did scare up a dove around the spilled sunflower seeds yesterday.
ReplyDeleteHow is your hand, or is it your thumb? I hope you are healing well. (I am reading in blotanical, so only have this post up.)
Hey Sue and any other zone 5 gardeners~ Kale ought to survive in your garden with snow cover to protect it from any days it gets below 5 degrees...gail
ReplyDeleteSuch pretty color!! H.
ReplyDeleteGreat post...and super idea about putting the cabbage with tulips/violas. I'm going to give that a try!
ReplyDeleteI've had mixed feelings about flowering kale in the past but recently saw some photos of frilly ones in the PineTree seed catalogue; that and your photos make me inclined to try again!
ReplyDeleteIn our area there is some brassicaceae weed that has those same pretty flowers a bit later in the year. Why did I never think about achieving that effect with other brassicas? Thanks for the tip.
The Kale colours look very attractive. I've seen pigeons roost like that before. I've never worked out what makes them pick one particular house over similar ones nearby.
ReplyDeleteHi Gail. I bought two kale plants this fall solely based on photos I saw on your blog last year! One has bitten the dust and the other is struggling. We are supposed to be 7 below zero tonight ~ maybe that's a bit much for them? I just wanted to thank you for your influence there.
ReplyDeleteThe bird photos are great. I really enjoy watching them here too although I've never seen that tufted titmouse. We have lots of house sparrows as well as house finches, goldfinch, juncos, blue jays, flickers, doves, etc. They sure can perk up a cold winter day.
Kathleen, I am so sorry that they don't like your very cold weather. I started to suggest that you cover them up! That defeats the purple purpose! Maybe just on those extremely cold days! gail
ReplyDeleteThat was a marvelous mish mash. I take it your surgery went well?!
ReplyDelete