Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Ornamental Pepper

Q. What can you tell me about an ornamental pepper plant? Any info will be appreciated!

A. These are wonderful, fun and easy plants to grow. I had wondered as a child if they were edible, but they are not. Just pretty. Follow some basic gardening suggestions:

They prefer a place with full sunlight. Peppers will grow faster and produce more in full sunlight than in a partly shaded spot. If all you have is a partly shaded site, you can still get a fairly enjoyable plant, which will possibly bear a little less of the attractive fruit.

Because of the limited amount of soil available, plants in containers need more attention than plants in the ground. In hot summer months, some containers need daily watering, especially if they receive maximum sun. But be aware that these repeated waterings leach nutrients out of the soil quickly. For this reason, it's usually better to apply diluted solutions of fertilizers frequently, rather than more concentrated doses once a month.

I recommend using a general outdoor gardening food at 1/2 to 1/4 strength each watering. Rapid Grow, Miracle-Gro and Scotts are very good. Keep the food and moisture off the foliage as it can lead to sunburn. Watering in the early AM is best, so that the foliage dries and the plant is fresh throughout the day.

Prune off old fruit and poor foliage. This will keep the plant not only looking better but extend the fruit production. If seeds are formed, the plant will slow down, bear less and then die.

Nancy writes~
My pretty purple ornamental peppers are turning orange. What should I do? (The leaves are still nice and decoratively purple.)

A. It appears that you may have a hybrid which goes through the color changes. I sorted through various pepper websites and came up with several described below which do indeed change from purple to yellow to orange or red. So, not to worry. It could be one of these listed below:

Filius Blue:
Edible ornamental pepper. Violet colored leaves specked with white. Oval purple fruit are held upright and retain their color for a long time before turning red.

Largo Purple:
Absolutely striking ornamental pepper plant with violet colored foliage mixed in with white and dark green. As these plants reach 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall, the effect is like that of a purple shrub. We have not seen any other ornamental peppers with such solid purple, jewel-toned foliage. It truly makes a very impressive display. Conical peppers mature to deep red and are hot.

NuMex Centennial:
An ornamental piquin-type chile with purple foliage and flowers. Tiny peppers ripen from purple to yellow, orange, and finally to red. Compact plants are well suited to container growing. While the pungent fruit is edible, it is usually just used as an ornamental.

NuMex Twilight:
An ornamental piquin-type chile with green leaves and purple fruit that ripens to yellow, orange, and then red. This variety has fruit in all four color states at the same time. Very striking and great for containers.

Pretty Purple Pepper:
Dark purple fruit and violet-colored flowers are what make this plant so special. Purple peppers almost cover the foliage, turning the 2 1/2 foot tall plants nearly purple. Upon maturity, the peppers turn red and are extremely hot. At this stage, purple, orange, and red fruit may be on plants at the same time, making a very colorful and attractive display. Ornamental pepper with purple leaves. The dark purple peppers turn to red.

www.members.aol.com/ltmdterra/TTTnewpe.html

www.tomatogrowers.com/hot3.htm

www.sabellico.com/0204_peppers.htm

www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/horticulture/g540.htm