Planted with bright yellow violas, this Giant Red Mustard brightens the UT Gardens in Knoxville. Photo by Susan Conlon. >>>download photo
	November "To-Do" List
	Is your green thumb ready to hibernate for the winter? Experts with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture recommend gardeners complete these chores before wrapping up the fall season: >>>read the article

By Susan L. Conlon


This past summer, annuals and tropicals were the "hot" plants to add to your garden. Many valued their bold and colorful foliage. So, when it comes to cool-season annuals to plant in the fall and early winter, the home gardener may feel limited by the foliage plant palette. Pansies, violas and snapdragons brighten up the winter garden with colorful displays of flowers, but they need a foliage companion plant.

Look no further than Giant Red Mustard, or Brassica juncea. This attractive, hardy, annual herb is a great addition to the winter garden. Its dark red foliage adds a big, bold texture that winter landscapes usually lack, and the foliage can also add "spice" to your dinner. The tender young leaves can be used to add a tangy Dijon mustard taste to salads and sandwiches. Older, more mature leaves can flavor soups and stir-fry dishes.

Planting Giant Red Mustard now will allow you to enjoy the foliage in your garden for several weeks. The plant will die back during the cold months, but once the weather starts to warm in late February and March, this mustard should send up fresh new growth. By late April, it generally reaches a height between two to three feet and should produce a stalk of delicate canary-yellow blooms.

Giant Red Mustard is great to pair with other cool-season annuals like pansies, violas and snapdragons. Consider pairing the bold, dark red foliage of the mustard with warm colors, including reds, yellows and oranges. It is also a nice textural complement to perennial ornamental grasses.

Giant Red Mustard performs well in containers as a specimen plant or in mass, in a mixed perennial border or herb garden. It prefers a moist, well-drained site and should be planted in a location with full-sun to partial-shade.

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Susan L. Conlon is a volunteer coordinator for the UT Gardens and a graduate assistant. She works under the guidance of Dr. Susan Hamilton, director of the UT Gardens. The UT Gardens are located on Neyland Drive in Knoxville. They are free and open to the public seven days a week during daylight hours.