Crambe marítima

Sizes available: #1 (Trade gallon)

Basics: zones 4-8, 24-30" x 24", full sun, white blooms over wavy-cabbage-like, glaucous leaves in mid-late summer, average to lean garden soil with really good drainage, won't like winter wet

Common names: Sea Kale, Giant Kale

Family: Brassicaceae

Origin/Distribution: parts of coastal mainland Europe and the British Isles

Habitat: sand or shingle beaches (well-drained and sunny), above the high-tide mark. From Wikipedia: "Trapping wind-blown sand, clumps of sea kale may initiate the formation of dunes."

More: I find the Brassica family very pretty in flower, however, we don't often see many in flower because we eat the leaves or whole plant, (as do numerous other creatures). The leaves and stems of Sea Kale can be eaten cooked as you would other kales. A long-lived plant that does not care to be moved, C. maritima is excellent for a dry, sunny, lean garden that drains well. Has potential as a larger specimen in a rock garden. Plant it in your vegetable garden, too. The Wikipedia entry has thorough information about how to cultivate and prepare it as a perennial vegetable.

Nursery: Van Berkum

Image credits: Jelitto Staudensamen GmbH (blooming flower); Wikimedia Commons (plant in situ and illustration)