Bright Lights Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris (Cicla Group) 'Bright Lights')
BAY-tah vul-GAR-iss (Cicla Group) 'Bright Lights'

Annual (usually grown as an annual near you) Upright, Clump-Forming in the Amaranthaceae Family
A 1998 All-America Selections winner grown for its glossy green leaves and dazzlingly colorful stems in red, gold, orange, pink, and white -- as ornamental as it is delicious.

Bright Lights Swiss Chard is a reselection of a New Zealand heirloom that won an All-America Selections award in 1998 for good reason: its crinkled, glossy green leaves are carried on brilliantly colored stalks in shades of red, gold, orange, pink, violet, and white, sometimes on the same plant. As ornamental as it is edible, it earns a spot in flower beds and containers as readily as the vegetable garden. Both the mild, tender leaves and crisp stalks are edible, whether eaten fresh in salads or cooked like spinach. Grown as a fast-maturing annual practically everywhere, it tolerates cold better than most greens and keeps producing right up through late-season frosts.

Pros

  • Vividly colorful stems in red, gold, orange, pink, and white make it as ornamental as it is edible
  • Fast-growing and easy, with continuous harvest as outer leaves are picked
  • Tolerant of both heat and late-season cold
  • 1998 All-America Selections winner

Cons

  • Needs consistent moisture to perform well and can struggle in hot, dry spells
  • Bolts (goes to seed) and declines in quality in the heat of summer in warmer climates
  • Susceptible to leaf miners, flea beetles, aphids, and fungal leaf diseases
Highlights
  • 1998 All-America Selections winner
  • Stems in red, gold, orange, pink, violet, and white
  • Edible leaves and stalks with a mild, spinach-like flavor
  • Fast-growing annual, tolerant of cold and heat
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 12 - 24 inches tall. 18 - 30 inches wide.
Growth Rate Fast
Sun Exposure Partial Shade - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium
Zones 3a - 9b (Usually hardy to -40° F)
Tags Annual, Annual in Chicago, Colorful Foliage, Container, Edible Foliage, Edibles, Fall Annuals, Fast Growth Rate, Filler, Full Sun, Good for Beginners, Good for Cottage Garden, Grown For Attractive Foliage, Insignificant Flowers, Low Maintenance, Medium, Partial Shade, Partial Sun, Tender Perennial, Tolerant of Frost, Vegetables
Bloom Period Grown For Foliage
Flower Color Green (Insignificant)
Foliage Color Green
 

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More Info from Experts

Commonly Planted with...

Its colorful stems pair beautifully with other ornamental grasses and culinary herbs in a mixed edible landscape, or with other container-friendly plants.
Want More photos of this plant? Try Google Image Search!
 


Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2025 : 02/05 - 10/04
2024 : 02/08 - 10/05
2023 : 03/02 - 09/30

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!