Your garden will look lovely in lilac! This is another Perennial Permaculture introduction. This amazing PERMA KALE is a perennial veggie that gives you a sweet, mild tasting perennial kale with wonderfully textured leaves and beautiful lilac-colored stems and veins within the leaves. We selected it for its beautiful color, amazing taste, and how resistant it is to pests and disease. The purple coloring makes this variety sweeter than your average kale. So gorgeous! (Brassica oleracea)
*Rooted plants of this variety will be an exact clone of the mother. Seeds will exhibit genetic diversity and you'll see wonderful variations in your plant babies.
We also offer 2 other varieties of Perma Kale: Dwarf Dino & Blue Belly Kale.
Why We Love It
Here are some of the reasons why we love the The Lilac Lizard Kale...
1) GORGEOUS! - These leaves are so beautiful with their touch of lavender in their veins and stems. They are beautiful in salads and stir fries.
2) NUTRITIOUS - Every color in a leaf provides different nutrients. The red and purples are some of the most medicinal plant compounds.
3) YUMMY - The Lilac Lizard Kale is delicious in salads, stir fries, and can be used as a beautiful wrap. It is sweeter than traditional kale.
How to Grow It
Here's how to grow your Lilac Lizard Kale:
| SUN | FULL TO PART-SUN |
| MOISTURE | LIKES GARDEN MOISTURE |
| GROWING ZONES | PERENNIAL OUTDOORS IN USDA ZONES 8-10, CUTTINGS CAN BE OVER-WINTERED INDOORS EVERYWHERE ELSE (Not sure? Find your growing zone here) |
| SIZE | 3-6 FEET TALL & 3 FEET WIDE |
| GROWING |
From cuttings: We like to root cuttings in 4" or 1 gallon pots. Fill with moistened potting soil. Simply bury the cutting halfway in the soil. Tamp around the cutting to secure. Water occasionally to keep the soil moist. That's it! They root super easily and you should see new leaves start popping in 4-8 weeks. We root outside year-round in zone 9 and above. If you're colder than this, keep your potted cutting on a window sill until Spring. Let us know if you need any support. We're here for you! From rooted plant: We trim all of the leaves except for the top leaf for shipping to prevent dehydration. Once you plant into moist soil, it will spring to life for you and immediately start growing leaves. It's best not to let your plant flower as it's getting settled into its new home. Trim off any flowers for the first few months. It will seem to grow slowly for the first couple months as the roots settle in, and then it will boom with growth! PRO TIP: The key for this wonderful, branching perennial green is to harvest often! It will allow for optimal air flow, which will keep your kale happy and healthy. If you live in a cooler growing zone, take a branch cutting in the late Fall and pop into a pot and bring indoors for the winter. You can plant out again in the Spring. |
Here are some pruning tips below:
How to Harvest & Use It
Harvest the outer, largest leaves. We suggest harvesting 1/3 or less of the leaves at a time so the plant can continue to gather sun and photosynthesize. Your Lilac Lizard Kale will pop up a flower stalk in the spring. The immature flower buds can be harvested and eaten just like broccoli (it's the same family). While it's flowering, you'll notice that it doesn't make as many leaves. After the plant is finished flowering, cut off the flower stalks and it will increase its leaf production again and give you leaves all summer, fall, and winter.