With the colorful autumn leaves that decorated the trees in my yard having finally all fallen, things look a little bleak outdoors around here, especially since we have been hit with a recent rainy spell. 
The one bright spot in this dreary weather are the autumn plantings in my front garden bed. Winter is so long here in Michigan that I like to have some color outside as long as I possibly can. Planting kale is a surefire way for me to do that. Mums will generally last me through until early November (I had two large pots of yellow mums on my steps until recently) but nothing outlasts kale for me. I have had luck in the past with kale looking lovely in my yard until December which is really quite wonderful.
Typically flowering kale can be a touch on the pricey side so I usually wait a little while until they go on sale at the end of the fall planting season. I got the large purple kale for $3 each at Blocks Farm Stand and the little green ones from Lowes for $1.50 each. I planted them in a border along my front stone bed wall in front of my boxwood shrubs and then added a fresh layer of mulch to keep things looking tidy and clean.
Seeing a little bit of vibrant life left in my yard as I pull up to my house really cheers me up. That purple really is striking!
Have you planted anything this autumn? Is anything still left alive in your yard?