Capsicum
(CAP-sih-come. Nightshade family, Solanaceae.)
All too often relegated to the vegetable garden without a second thought, peppers (Capsicum spp.) are handsome plants that deserve wider use. The genus contains about 10 species of annuals and perennials native to the tropics of the Americas. They have small white or purple, star- or bell-shaped flowers and shiny chambered fruits in a variety of sizes and shapes that can hang down or point up. Fruits usually start out green, but ripen to yellow, red, purple, orange or chocolate brown. Commonly cultivated forms all fall into one species, C. annuum.
How To Grow
Give peppers full sun and average to rich soil that is well drained and evenly moist. Sow seeds indoors 6 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost date; seeds germinate in 1 to 2 weeks if the soil temperature is kept at about 85 degrees F. Grow seedlings at 65 to 70 degrees F, and transplant after the last frost date once the soil has warmed to 60 degrees F and the weather has settled. Stake taller types to keep them upright. Use them in mixed plantings, as edgings, and in containers.
C. annuum
(c. AN-nu-um.)
Chili peppers, sweet peppers and ornamental peppers all fall here. Annuals or short-lived perennials, they have lance-shaped to ovate leaves. Both sweet and hot peppers are attractive plants, but cultivars developed specifically for ornamental use are generally best for bedding displays because their fruit (the most colorful part of the plant) isn’t harvested. Ornamental types bear edible, but very hot, fruit that is held upright on the plants. Many feature showy, variegated foliage as well. Cultivars include 'Holiday Cheer,' 'Poinsettia,' 'Starburst,' 'Thai Hot Ornamental,' 'Trifetti,' 'Marbles' and 'Pretty in Purple.' Warm-weather annual or perennial or winter annual (in Zones 10 and 11).
EXCLUSIVE ONLINE ONLY AUTHOR’S NOTE
(Text does not appear in book.)
Season-long Color from Ornamental Peppers
Ornamental peppers add color to the garden from the time fruit begins to ripen until frost ends the season. Try them in beds and borders with perennials or other annuals as well as in containers. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and not all are grown strictly for their ornamental fruit. Most bear fruit that points up and covers the tops of the plants.
Here are some outstanding ornamental pepper cultivars to try. Unless otherwise noted, all have very hot (but edible) fruit.
'Largo Purple' - A stunning, shrubby, 2 1/2- to 3-foot tall plant with rich, violet-purple leaves marked with white and dark green. Bears peppers that mature to dark red.
'Marbles' - Compact, 1- to 1 1/2-foot tall plants bear marble-sized fruit that nearly cover the tops of the plants. Fruit turn from yellow to purple, then orange and finally red as they ripen.
'NuMex Series Peppers' - These are ornamentals developed for making ristras or wreaths, but they bear smaller fruits than traditional ristra peppers. They bear small, cone-shaped 2- to 3-inch long fruit that is about 3/8 inch wide and ideal for drying. Plants are shrub size - from 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall - and are attractive fillers for the mid border. Cultivars include:
- 'NuMex Twilight', with purple fruit that turns from yellow to orange to red as it ripens.
- 'NuMex Sunset', which bears fruit that is orange at maturity.
- 'NuMex Sunrise', which turns yellow at maturity.
'Poinsettia' - Compact cultivar covered with showy clusters of erect, slender, 3-inch long, bright red peppers that contrast with the dark green leaves.
'Pretty in Purple' - Compact, spreading plants with handsome dark purple to purple-green leaves and round, glossy, 3/4-inch wide fruits that are purple and ripen to yellow, orange, then bright red.
'Starburst' - A dwarf cultivar covered with showy, dense clusters of erect, 2-inch long fruit that turn from pale to deep yellow, then orange and finally red as they ripen.
'Sweet Pickle' - Compact cultivar with erect, cone-shaped peppers covering the top of the 1- to 1 1/2-foot tall plant. Features sweet-tasting, 2-inch long peppers that are especially attractive because plants bear red, yellow, orange and purple fruits all at the same time.
'Trifetti' - An ornamental that is sometimes sold as Variegata. It is grown for its foliage, which is variegated in purple, white and green. The low, mounding plants bear small purple fruit that ripen to red.
For the Plant Of The Month index click here.
The above copyrighted information is adapted with permission from the "Taylor’s Guide to Annuals: How to select and grow more than 400 annuals, biennials, and tender perennials," (Houghton Mifflin, 1999, softcover) written by Barbara W. Ellis and published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. The Exclusive Online Only Author's Note comes directly from Ellis and is not included in the book.
Ellis is also the author of "Taylor's Guide to Growing North America's Favorite Plants: A detailed, how-to-grow guide to selecting, planting, and caring for the best classic plants." (Houghton Mifflin, 1998, softcover). Country Living magazine called this comprehensive reference "The 'must-have' gardening book of the year."
For more information about these books, please visit your local bookseller.
Images provided by Houghton Mifflin Company.