Crambe cordifolia - Greater Sea Kale

The Crambe cordifolia bears the lovely name of cloud cabbage, due to its flowering resembling a true cloud of small white flowers. This elegant cousin of vegetable cabbages is a perennial plant that will accompany the gardener for about ten years. A few years of happiness at eye level, with the nose immersed in a honey-scented mist. Only its foliage, composed of large fleshy heart-shaped leaves, reminds us that it is a cabbage, but what a cabbage!. Place it in the sun, a little away from other plants that it fears competition from. Provide it with a deep, well-drained, fertile soil, even limestone.

The Crambe cordifolia is a plant of the brassicaceae family, formerly crucifers. It is native to the Caucasus. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with a powerful root that goes deep into the ground. It takes time to establish itself and will only reach its full potential after 2 to 3 years of cultivation.

The basal foliage develops in spring from the stump, forming a clump with a diameter of 60 cm (24in). Then thick and ramified floral stems rise, easily reaching a height of 1.80 m (6ft), forming a cloud-like ball measuring 1 m (3ft) in all directions. This very airy flowering takes place from late May to late July, depending on the climate, on plants aged 2 or 3 years. It consists of branched spikes with tiny white flowers with 4 petals measuring 1 cm (1in). Nectar-rich, emitting a sweet and mild fragrance reminiscent of honey, they attract a large number of pollinating insects. The floral stems can remain on the plant after the petals fall. The flowering is followed by the formation of small hard and round fruits called silicles, each containing a seed. The foliage, at the base of the stems, is composed of large heart-shaped leaves, reaching 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24in) in length and width, quite brittle. They are thick and fleshy, toothed and hairy, wrinkled and embossed, and greenish-blue in color. The few leaves on the stems are smaller, smooth, and oval-shaped. The basal foliage tends to be less beautiful or even disappear after flowering.

The Cloud Cabbage is not difficult to grow, but it requires sunlight and a deep and absolutely well-drained soil. Like a paniculate gypsophila, it finds its place in large flower beds, in the company of roses or shrubby peonies, for example, lightening their opulent flowering. Since this perennial takes its time to establish itself, you can sow annual plants (Nigellas, Cosmos, Centaureas, ornamental carrots) in the first year to fill the space reserved for it while waiting for its moment of glory. Pretty perennials like Geranium Rozanne or Blue Cloud (a blue cloud) will accompany it at a distance, with simplicity. Other cloud-like flowering plants such as Thalictrum, Aster cordifolius, or Eragrostis spectabilis can be planted alongside it, always respecting a safe distance, creating scenes full of poetry. These plants, growing and blooming from mid-summer to the first frost, will enhance the cabbage's foliage.