Ornamental Peppers By Paula Szilard This past summer we all complained about the heat and the dryness, but our peppers did incredibly well, including the ornamental ones. In fact, the weather this year made it the perfect time to grow ornamental peppers. They outperformed a lot of our old favorite annuals, many of which withered in the intense heat. These colorful, bushy little peppers can be used as bedding plants or in containers. They are the only annuals that are grown for their colorful fruit and sometimes their variegated foliage. They produce an amazing number of fruits continuously, all summer. Ornamental peppers are occasionally used as houseplants, but are rather short lived in the indoor environment. They like temperatures of at least 70 F during the day and prefer nighttime temperatures over 65 F. Do not plant them out until it’s at least 50 or 55 F at night. All peppers are members of the Solanaceae family, along with potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes and many lesser known vegetables and fruits, such as naranjillas, tree tomatoes, and cape gooseberries. Their ancestral home is in tropical America but they are now spread throughout the globe as a result of human activity. Botanists have placed peppers into the genus Capsicum, one of over 90 genera in this diverse plant family. For many years the focus of breeding was mostly on developing a wider selection of culinary varieties, but this is changing. Plant breeders at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been working for the last twenty years on developing new ornamental varieties. Though the small, round fruited ornamental peppers have been around for a long time, often sold around Christmas time as a holiday potted plant, the variety of new plants available now is astonishing. Currently there are over 30 cultivars on the market. Some of them are truly stunning! ‘Sangria’ I purchased a variety called ‘Sangria’ from Select Seeds (select.seeds.com). They have plain green foliage, small white flowers and attractive, pointed, skinny fruits in purple, orange and red all on one short plant about 1 ft tall. This company also carried a variety called ‘Purple Flash’ It has inky black foliage with purple flowers, a strong purple and splashes of white on the newer growth. That’s for next year! I also started some from seed, ‘Garda Tricolore’ hybrid. These were 16” tall upright plants with plain green foliage and small conical fruits that start out purple, then change to cream, orange and finally, red. The shape and color are reminiscent of Christmas tree lights. Then, at O’Toole’s Garden Center, I saw another variety with beautiful variegated black, purple and white leaves. The fruits start out purple and mature to a lovely dark red. Unfortunately, this was not labeled with the name of the cultivar and I have no idea what it is. People always ask if these peppers are edible. Of course they are! However, be cautious, unless you want to torch your mouth. They can pack incredible heat! They also do not have the fullness of flavor found in peppers that are bred to be eaten, but might be used in cooking rather than eaten raw. Naturally, these plants thrive in intense sun, high temperatures and low humidity. Still, they are not xeric and will need a generous daily watering. Peppers generally are moderate feeders. To avoid stem elongation, they should not be fed excessive amounts of nitrogen or phosphorus. In fact, excessive fertilizer generally will cause them to become soft and leggy. They do have a moderately high need for magnesium and calcium, so use a fertilizer that contains both nutrients. There is no doubt that here in Colorado, they will get sufficient calcium if they are planted in the garden, provided they also consistently get enough water to get it out of the ground. However, if they are planted in a soilless mix in a container, and calcium is not on the fertilizer label, then it’s wise to sprinkle a little horticultural lime over the top of the mix. It will dissolve as you water. In the unlikely event that magnesium is not on the fertilizer label, dissolve a teaspoon of Epson Salts in a gallon of water and use this to water your plants several times a season. Because these plants were so colorful and were such an attractive addition to my edible landscape, I plan to try a few more varieties next year. Hopefully some of you will too!

Ornamental Peppers

By Paula Szilard

This past summer we all complained about the heat and the dryness, but our peppers did incredibly well, including the ornamental ones. In fact, the weather this year made it the perfect time to grow ornamental peppers. They outperformed a lot of our old favorite annuals, many of which withered in the intense heat. These colorful, bushy little peppers can be used as bedding plants or in containers. They are the only annuals that are grown for their colorful fruit and sometimes their variegated foliage. They produce an amazing number of fruits continuously, all summer. Ornamental peppers are occasionally used as houseplants, but are rather short lived in the indoor environment. They like temperatures of at least 70 F during the day and prefer nighttime temperatures over 65 F. Do not plant them out until it’s at least 50 or 55 F at night.

All peppers are members of the Solanaceae family, along with potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes and many lesser known vegetables and fruits, such as naranjillas, tree tomatoes, and cape gooseberries. Their ancestral home is in tropical America but they are now spread throughout the globe as a result of human activity. Botanists have placed peppers into the genus Capsicum, one of over 90 genera in this diverse plant family.

For many years the focus of breeding was mostly on developing a wider selection of culinary varieties, but this is changing. Plant breeders at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been working for the last twenty years on developing new ornamental varieties. Though the small, round fruited ornamental peppers have been around for a long time, often sold around Christmas time as a holiday potted plant, the variety of new plants available now is astonishing. Currently there are over 30 cultivars on the market. Some of them are truly stunning!

‘Sangria’

I purchased a variety called ‘Sangria’ from Select Seeds (select.seeds.com). They have plain green foliage, small white flowers and attractive, pointed, skinny fruits in purple, orange and red all on one short plant about 1 ft tall. This company also carried a variety called ‘Purple Flash’ It has inky black foliage with purple flowers, a strong purple and splashes of white on the newer growth. That’s for next year!

I also started some from seed, ‘Garda Tricolore’ hybrid. These were 16” tall upright plants with plain green foliage and small conical fruits that start out purple, then change to cream, orange and finally, red. The shape and color are reminiscent of Christmas tree lights.

Then, at O’Toole’s Garden Center, I saw another variety with beautiful variegated black, purple and white leaves. The fruits start out purple and mature to a lovely dark red. Unfortunately, this was not labeled with the name of the cultivar and I have no idea what it is.

People always ask if these peppers are edible. Of course they are! However, be cautious, unless you want to torch your mouth. They can pack incredible heat! They also do not have the fullness of flavor found in peppers that are bred to be eaten, but might be used in cooking rather than eaten raw.

Naturally, these plants thrive in intense sun, high temperatures and low humidity. Still, they are not xeric and will need a generous daily watering. Peppers generally are moderate feeders. To avoid stem elongation, they should not be fed excessive amounts of nitrogen or phosphorus. In fact, excessive fertilizer generally will cause them to become soft and leggy. They do have a moderately high need for magnesium and calcium, so use a fertilizer that contains both nutrients.

There is no doubt that here in Colorado, they will get sufficient calcium if they are planted in the garden, provided they also consistently get enough water to get it out of the ground. However, if they are planted in a soilless mix in a container, and calcium is not on the fertilizer label, then it’s wise to sprinkle a little horticultural lime over the top of the mix. It will dissolve as you water. In the unlikely event that magnesium is not on the fertilizer label, dissolve a teaspoon of Epson Salts in a gallon of water and use this to water your plants several times a season.

Because these plants were so colorful and were such an attractive addition to my edible landscape, I plan to try a few more varieties next year. Hopefully some of you will too!