Pentland Brig Kale (Brassica oleracea ‘Pentland Brig’)

1 healthy plant in a 9cm pot, sent in plastic-free packaging. A robust, highly productive Scottish heritage brassica, prized for its exceptional winter hardiness, sweet foliage, and tender spring shoots.

Biennial / Short-Lived Perennial | 60/90cm tall | Full sun to partial shade | Sweet leaves and edible spring shoots | Exceptionally cold-hardy

‘Pentland Brig’ is a celebrated Scottish heritage kale, originally developed from a botanical cross between standard curly green kale and the robust ‘Thousand Headed’ kale. Belonging to the Brassica oleracea Acephala (headless) Group, it produces long, slightly frilled, dark green leaves. The foliage is renowned for being exceptionally tender; like many brassicas, exposure to severe winter frosts triggers the conversion of stored starches into soluble sugars, rendering the leaves noticeably sweeter during the colder months. Beyond the winter harvest, it provides a highly prized secondary crop in early spring, producing an abundance of tender, sweet side-shoots that can be cooked and eaten exactly like sprouting broccoli. Uniquely, while traditionally classified and grown as a biennial, ‘Pentland Brig’ is highly vigorous and is frequently reported by growers to act as a short-lived perennial. Instead of dying after flowering, the strong basal stem often “coppices” (shoots from the base) or roots along resting lower stems, with the ability to yield continuous harvests for a few years, though is often grown as a biennial.

If the spring shoots are not entirely harvested for the kitchen, they open into clusters of bright yellow, cross-shaped flowers. Entomological surveys consistently rank flowering brassicas as a premium, high-volume nectar and pollen source for early-emerging pollinators, particularly hungry bumblebee queens, hoverflies, and solitary bees. Furthermore, its dense, overwintering canopy provides crucial sheltering habitat for beneficial predatory ground beetles and overwintering ladybirds when much of the garden is bare. Note the plant is highly attractive to the cabbage white butterfly (Pieris brassicae) during the summer, so the foliage may require protective netting during peak flight seasons to prevent caterpillar damage.

This cultivar is practically indestructible against the cold. Holding an RHS H6 hardiness rating, it easily survives severe winter freezing down to -20°C. It performs best in firm, moisture-retentive, well-draining soil that is neutral to slightly alkaline a soil pH profile that scientifically helps deter the soil-borne pathogen responsible for clubroot. Because the plant can grow quite tall and top-heavy by its second year, planting it deeply and firmly compacting the soil around the base is recommended to prevent wind-rock. To maximize its potential as a short-lived perennial, simply harvest the leaves and spring shoots on a continuous cut-and-come-again basis, taking care not to uproot the main woody stem so the resilient base can generate fresh side-growth.

Delivery Information

All plants are carefully packed and sent in plastic-free packaging to protect both the plant and the environment. Plants are dispatched promptly so they arrive fresh, healthy, and ready to plant.

We ship orders using a tracked 24-hour delivery service, helping to minimise time in transit and reduce stress on the plant. Orders are packed by hand at the nursery, and we aim to dispatch early in the week to avoid delays over weekends.

If you have any questions about delivery timing or combining orders, please get in touch before ordering and we will be happy to help.

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