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Annuals/flowering cabbage

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Expert: - 5/16/2009


Question
i planted flowering cabbage last summer and let it go all winter with no trimming(i wasn't sure i thought it would die in our cold winters) now this pretty spring it has grown tall,sideways and is blooming yellow flowers off the top. can i cut them way down now or let them be out of control and trim them down in fall? they look ugly like this
the stem's are really long and that is why they are sideways

Answer
Behold the Biennial Bolted Cabbages.

Yes, your Flowering Cabbages have Bolted.  You've heard this word.  Now you see it in action.

'Bolting' is when certain plants hit a growth spurt and go into seed-making action.  Flowering vegetables like Cabbage, Lettuce and Spinach contain built-in light-sensitive proteins that actually count the hours of straight, uninterrupted darkness to monitor the season -- sort of like a calendar/alarm clock.  Bolting is also standard operating procedure for plants in the Cabbage family after they've endured a cold spell (winter) or a heat wave (summer).  If you had planted new Flowering Cabbage in the Spring, they would probably be bolting around the middle of July.  This is the most natural thing in the world.

Unfortunately, this life-in-the-fast-lane depletes energy reserves.  The plant flowers, sets seeds, and then looks ugly.  Nobody wants this to happen.  And no, you can't do anything with these to make them beautiful again.  This is a Biennial plant.  The show is over.

They are nevertheless quite beautiful, don't you think?

THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER  

Annuals

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Expertise

Decisions, decisions... If you can't make up your mind which Annuals to grow, you're not alone. Problem with your new flowering Annuals flats? I`ve been there, done that. Petunias, Sweet Alyssum, Larkspur, Marine Blue Lobelia -- they all grow here at my house on Garden Street on Long Island, N.Y.. Cutting and Cottage Gardens, Sun and Shade Gardens, White Gardens and Night Gardens, I`ve done them all. Annuals are the perfect summer flower, bursting with color June through fall's first frost. I can`t speak on Cactus or tender Tropical Plants -- they don`t grow outside in my Zone 7. I`m no Farmer, so I cannot guide you on Fruits and Vegetables. But whether it`s an Annual you want to start from seed, mail-order or pick up at your local garden center, I can help you grow amazing blooms this Summer. Yes, together, we can turn your neighbors green with envy.

Experience

I have a lifetime of gardening behind me here on the North Shore of Long Island. While I have degrees in related fields, there's nothing like hands-on work to build real knowledge. I stay on top of current science -- there's a boom in research, and Kingdom Plantae is filled with surprises. By the way, I really do live on Garden Street.

Publications
Gannett newspapers, The New York Times, and hundreds of others - but not on Annuals.

Education/Credentials
B.A., botany; graduate credits in European Intellectual History and Political Science; minor coursework in related fields, docent training at our local botanical gardens (required for volunteers). I'm currently working on an advanced biochemistry degree.

Awards and Honors
I could tell you, but then you'd know who I am.

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