Garden and Flowers

ORNAMENTAL PEPPER

Ornamental peppers make their appearance at florists in June. Most people buy these low-growing plants with their small, colorful peppers as indoor plants, but they also do well as container plants in warm and sheltered positions out-of-doors. Apart from needing a warm position, ornamental peppers make few demands. You may even sow them indoors in February-March. The ideal temperature for germination is around 70 °F. Grow the plants on at a lower temperature and put them out-of-doors in pots or other containers early in June. New little peppers are produced continually and, depending on the variety, ultimately turn red, orange, yellow, or cream.

Capsicum annuum is a domesticated species of the plant genus Capsicum native to Mexico. The plant is a perennial, but usually grown as an herbaceous annual, with a densely branched stem. The plant reaches 0.5–1.5 m (20–60 in). Single white flowers bear the fruit which is green when unripe, changing principally to red, although some varieties may ripen to other colours including brown and purple. While the species can tolerate most climates, they are especially productive in warm and dry climates. Due to this climate tolerance, and the variety of flavors available, this New World plant spread across the world, possibly faster than any other crop.