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Post by robertb on Feb 18, 2011 8:31:25 GMT -5
Nine Star looks yummy! Interesting. It's a good one; it has heads like small cauliflowers, and lasts for several years. Unfortunately the pigeons combines with the weather killed mine off over winter so I'm going to have to replant. |
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bertiefox
gardener
There's always tomorrow!
Posts: 236
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Post by bertiefox on Mar 9, 2011 12:55:09 GMT -5
Be interested to know what should happen here. Having grown Chou d'Aubenton and having some particularly good brussels sprouts plants this year, I thought I'd try rooting some of the sideshoots that come from the main stem. I put them in vermiculite with some bottom heat and they have rooted well.
What is most likely to happen next? Will the shoots just flower (as they would have done on the main stem) and then die, or if I remove the flowers will they make new sprout plants? I guess someone here has tried this already, but if not, it could be an interesting experiment.
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Post by robertb on Mar 9, 2011 16:20:44 GMT -5
I have Delway seed, but haven't grown it out yet. It's also available from the HSL, but they say nothing about it being perennial. I'm trying Spis Bladene from the HSL this year; they say it 'appears to be a perennial kale', but it obviously flowers as well. It could be one that has to have the flowers removed to make it perennial. They do Hungry Gap, if anyone's still looking for that.
There seems to be a spectrum, with the out and out biennial varieties at one end, varieties which rarely flower at the other, and ambiguous plants in the middle, which can be either depending on whether you let them set seed or not. As has been mentioned, Real Seeds has some interesting varieties, and I've always found them excellent to deal with.
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Post by robertb on Mar 9, 2011 18:38:10 GMT -5
Hungry Gap's available from Thomas Etty.
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Post by stevil on Mar 10, 2011 4:58:49 GMT -5
I have Delway seed, but haven't grown it out yet. It's also available from the HSL, but they say nothing about it being perennial. I'm trying Spis Bladene from the HSL this year; they say it 'appears to be a perennial kale', but it obviously flowers as well. It could be one that has to have the flowers removed to make it perennial. They do Hungry Gap, if anyone's still looking for that. Interesting that this should come up now as I was recently in contact with HSL and they told me about this variety "Spis Bladene" as follows: We also have another variety, thought to be of this type 'Spis Bladene' (brief information below)
An old Danish variety whose name simply means “eat the leaves” donated by Annette Olisen. This appears to be a perennial kale, reaching a magnificent 2m. This is a must to grow to seed as the flower heads are spectacular, with white flowers, very unusual for kales. Would go well in a border behind the ‘Crimson Flowered’ broad bean. The leaves are broad and glaucous, and are slightly peppery to taste.I thought the name was a bit odd as it means simply “Eat the leaves”. I therefore contacted the Danish Seed Savers just a few days ago to see if anyone there new about this variety. Apparently not and they independently contacted HSL who told them that this accession could be traced back to 1992 and the suspicion was also strengthed that the donator was a well known Danish vegetable writer Anemette Olesen. Anemette was contacted and she confirms she was a member of HDRA and thinks that the origin of this was wild cabbage from the white cliffs of Dover! I suspect that she had written “Spis Bladene” on the seed packet she donated and that this was mistaken as the variety name! However, the HSL description says it has white flowers! Aren’t wild cliff cabbages yellow flowered. I know Couve Tronchuda is white. Another mystery or do white flowered plants also occur? |
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Post by stevil on Mar 10, 2011 5:01:06 GMT -5
They do Hungry Gap, if anyone's still looking for that. Is there any indication of this being perennial rather than the modern biannual form? It is suspected that the old perennial Hungry Gap referred to by Thomas Etty is no longer with us... |
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Post by ottawagardener on Mar 10, 2011 11:47:00 GMT -5
Interesting. Just a note, I have kales that live for more than two years, and flower after the first year. They would be considered biennial in flowering habit and normally in growth but even after setting seed, they occasional go for a second flower and seed set. I'd call them short lived perennials. Among these have been some 'red russians' and ursas.
White flowered. I wonder what it is.
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Post by stevil on Mar 10, 2011 11:58:43 GMT -5
It turns out she also had a Marrow-stem kale? Anyone know what colour the flowers are?
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Post by robertb on Mar 10, 2011 12:56:29 GMT -5
Interesting that this should come up now as I was recently in contact with HSL and they told me about this variety "Spis Bladene" as follows: We also have another variety, thought to be of this type 'Spis Bladene' (brief information below)
An old Danish variety whose name simply means “eat the leaves” donated by Annette Olisen. This appears to be a perennial kale, reaching a magnificent 2m. This is a must to grow to seed as the flower heads are spectacular, with white flowers, very unusual for kales. Would go well in a border behind the ‘Crimson Flowered’ broad bean. The leaves are broad and glaucous, and are slightly peppery to taste.I thought the name was a bit odd as it means simply “Eat the leaves”. I therefore contacted the Danish Seed Savers just a few days ago to see if anyone there new about this variety. Apparently not and they independently contacted HSL who told them that this accession could be traced back to 1992 and the suspicion was also strengthed that the donator was a well known Danish vegetable writer Anemette Olesen. Anemette was contacted and she confirms she was a member of HDRA and thinks that the origin of this was wild cabbage from the white cliffs of Dover! I suspect that she had written “Spis Bladene” on the seed packet she donated and that this was mistaken as the variety name! However, the HSL description says it has white flowers! Aren’t wild cliff cabbages yellow flowered. I know Couve Tronchuda is white. Another mystery or do white flowered plants also occur? Interesting. I'll look forward to seeing what it turns into! They just say that 'This appears to be a perennial kale, reaching a magnificent 2m. This is a must to grow to seed, as the flower heads are spectacular, with white flowers, very unusual for kales. The leaves are broad and glaucous, and slightly peppery to taste.' Does it ring any bells? It might be worth asking both Etty and the HSL about their Hungry Gap. Neither of them mention perennial tendencies. |
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Post by extremegardener on Mar 10, 2011 13:00:53 GMT -5
Love the Spis Bladene story, sounds like a good candidate for my brassica trials.
The couve tronchudas (aka sea kale), from what I have read, are derived from wild cliff cabbages in Portugal...
Hunger Gap/Hungry Gap - I think this name has been applied to several different varieties of kale which overwinter reliably.
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Post by richardw on Jan 8, 2012 13:07:03 GMT -5
Hello everyone,Ive been given a rather interesting plant that i was told was a perennial cabbage,the bloke who gave it to me has had it growing for just on 10 years and he received a layered piece from an old lady who's had it growing for about 60 years,i was keen to learn more about it or in fact if its even a cabbage and not a kale,so i did a Google and came across this forum ( now this forum looks like me ) and there i see Frank HI FRANK i know i asked you about this plant in a email but thought others maybe interested also,so i joined up. Ive been told that not only has it never flowered for the guy who gave it to me but also for the woman who originally had it,surely its got to flower at some stage??   |
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Post by orflo on Jan 8, 2012 15:06:08 GMT -5
Richard, hi!!! I just answered your mail, but I'll repeat it somewhat here..It looks like a Chou Daubenton to me, but I suspect you don't have the right climate circumstances to make it flower. Mybighair had some flowers on it, and there are some very interesting crosses made out of these: alanbishop.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=brassica&action=display&thread=4341I never had flowers on this one, I once had flowers on 'ehwiger kohl' but at that time no other cabbage was flowering so I couldn't do anything with it... |
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Post by raymondo on Jan 8, 2012 15:46:48 GMT -5
Hi Richard,
Hows that ram of yours? Forgotten its name.
There are many more knowledgeable than me on this forum but I believe that some perennial brassicas do not flower, or if they do, they do so very rarely.
Edit: There you go. Another much more knowledgeable than me answered while I was typing.
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Post by richardw on Jan 8, 2012 16:04:06 GMT -5
Richard, hi!!! I just answered your mail, but I'll repeat it somewhat here..It looks like a Chou Daubenton to me, but I suspect you don't have the right climate circumstances to make it flower. Mybighair had some flowers on it, and there are some very interesting crosses made out of these: alanbishop.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=brassica&action=display&thread=4341I never had flowers on this one, I once had flowers on 'ehwiger kohl' but at that time no other cabbage was flowering so I couldn't do anything with it... Thanks Frank,as i said to you in my reply it looks a lot like it alright |
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Post by richardw on Jan 8, 2012 16:11:54 GMT -5
Hi Richard, Hows that ram of yours? Forgotten its name. There are many more knowledgeable than me on this forum but I believe that some perennial brassicas do not flower, or if they do, they do so very rarely. Edit: There you go. Another much more knowledgeable than me answered while I was typing. Giddy Ray,Great to see another familiar name  his name was Bob and poor ..snif.  ..old Bob died about a year ago. Yes it may not flower where i am either,been inland we do get some reasonably solid frosts -9 min every winter,-12 once every 10 years,along with that frank reckons it needs a humid climate,so that me buggered ever to get it to flower.... maybe? |
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his name was Bob and poor ..snif. 
..old Bob died about a year ago.