Ornamental peppers are vibrant and colorful and not for the mild-mannered palate; but yes, ornamental peppers are edible just like the chilies or bell peppers from the grocery store.
If you’re considering growing them in your garden or placing them in a sunny spot on your patio or windowsill, you will find them irresistible with green, purple, red, and yellow that makes them visually striking!
In this post, we’re going to tell you all about edible ornamental peppers and how to have fun growing them.
What are ornamental peppers?
Ornamental peppers come from varieties of pepper (Capsicum) that are cultivated for their beauty instead of primarily as food.
These are the chili plants you will see sold in a garden centre or nursery rather than a grocery vegetable aisle.
While there are more than 4000 chili varieties and many of these hot berries are regarded for their quirky shapes and striking colors.
Most cultures around the world have been introduced to chilies after tens of thousands of years of cultivation and trade. The ornamental cultivation of chilies is a relatively new interest.
Among the following five main species of chilli you will see ornamentals generously.
- Capsicum annuum
- Capsicum baccatum
- Capsicum chinense
- Capsicum frutescens
- Capsicum pubescens
Ornamental peppers are easily recognised by the vibrant colours they give
Landscape experts love ornamental peppers because they add interest and color to gardens or containers with contrasting shells of greens, purples and cream-colored pepper pods.
The size, shape and color of ornamental peppers vary widely, making them distinguishable and lovable garden gifts. The summer months are prime for flowering and when the bold fruit appear, that’s when ornamental peppers are at their best.
The bushy leaves would be a great foliage feature in any garden, and the small pale white flowers are also modest, like a pepper that grows close to the middle of its fruit, but once the pepper starts to emerge, the life and color come pouring out.
Ornamental peppers are also a treat for the culinary adventurous gardener
Are you the type of person that orders extra chilli oil while ordering Chinese takeaway? Or are you pouring hot pepper sauce on every dish you have?
Ornamental chillies are sure to get the attention of the gardener with a mouth for heat, and you may be interested in trying these colourful chillies.
Ornamental peppers are cultivated for their visuals rather than their flavour
The decorative types that we share below are all 100% edible; however, it is always worth reminding consumers that the ornamental chilli varieties have been bred and selected for their appeal and not their taste.
The eating types of chillies have a vastly superior flavour profile and usage in food preparation, but ornamental chillies may not have a taste dimension, they have a degree of heat.
If you pick and eat many ornamental chili varieties, you are likely to encounter A LOT of heat!
You’ve probably heard of hot chillies like the famous scotch bonnet or jalapeno but, what about ornamental peppers?
Chilli peppers have their own rating scale created in the 19th century by the American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. Scoville units measure hotness of chilli pepper.
Let’s compare a few everyday peppers to ornamental peppers:
- Bell pepper: 0 to 100 Scoville heat units
- Jalapeno pepper: up to 10,000 Scoville heat units
- Cayenne pepper: 30,000 Scoville heat units
Now here is the heat you experience with some ornamental pepper varieties:
- Black pearl pepper: as much as 30,000 Scoville heat units
- Bolivian rainbow pepper: as much as 50,000 Scoville heat units
- Prairie fire pepper: as much as 80,000
- Thai hot ornamental pepper: 100,000 Scoville heat units
Ornamental peppers can be unknown quantities so handle them with care
The heat of these peppers is their biggest contributor to flavor, which means you need to be careful about growing these peppers in and around children and animals who might taste them and have a very unpleasant surprise.
As with most peppers, ornamental pepper varieties are not meant to be eaten without caution.
The amount of heat produced by individual plants can also be surprisingly unpredictable. The heat can be attributed to the presence of capsaicin, the active ingredient of chili peppers.
This capsaicin can also build up at times in concentrations and make plants hotter than you might expect.
What varieties of ornamental peppers can I grow?
- Black Pearl – Similar to the name, these peppers are beautiful, round, and have dark midnight purple foliage.
- Aurora Bears – These peppers ripen from a variety of different colors that include green, violet, and orange, giving plants that ‘rainbow feel.’
- Chilly Chili – These peppers are family-friendly and come in bright yellow and red colors while not being too spicy. They are long peppers and can fall down from the tops of the plants.
- Bolivian Rainbow – Another beautiful colored variety that produce very spicy peppers, similar to Christmas lights in your garden!
- Sangria – These peppers are a beautiful mild variety produce a confetti of yellows, whites, oranges, red, and purples!
- NuMex Easter – These peppers produce the prettiest, pastel-colored peppers with medium heat if you wanted to give them a try.
Put your ornamental cropping pepper plant to good use with this flavourful hot pepper sauce!
This quick and easy recipe is great for enjoying the intensity of ornamental peppers.
Spicy Ornamental Hot Pepper Sauce – great for dipping or if you are REALLY brave, for marinating meats (chicken, beef, fish or lamb would be ideal):
Ingredients:
- X4 ornamental peppers
- 1 whole lemon
- White wine vinegar
- Crushed garlic
- Ketchup
- A glass bottle
Bring the vinegar to a boil for 3 minutes. Let the vinegar cool. Once the vinegar has cooled, put on cooking gloves and finely chop the peppers before putting it in the glass bottle.
Squeeze all of the lemon into the glass, then the garlic, the vinegar and stir. Add a large tablespoon of ketchup for flavor, and stir. This ingredient can be kept in the refrigerator.
This sauce will be an excellent condiment to use as an extra dipping sauce, for marinading or adding it to rice dishes.
Cultivating ornamental peppers
It’s important to keep in mind that you will want to make sure that you are not planting them too early when growing these delicious peppers.
In general, you will find that you can only buy seedlings at the garden centres, before there is good enough weather for them to be planted.
When the warm, bright, and sunny summer days come along, that is the best weather to start planting your ornamental peppers.
Warmth and sunlight are an ornamental peppers best friend
Ornamental peppers grow best if planted in a location where they can receive 7-8 hours of sunshine a day. Please remember to keep the plants evenly watered, with at least an inch a week, once planted, in a location of your choice.
The ambient temperature should be around 23 degrees Celsius (73.4 degrees Fahrenheit), appropriate for the climate in May to August in the UK (USDA Zone 9).
Decent soils give you a long cropping season with a vibrant display
Choose loam soil that is rich and organic to promote healthy growth. For peppers growing in a pot, all-purpose potting mix is good.
These plants like excellent drainage.
Rounding up
Now you’ve discovered the spicy secrets behind these lovely peppers. They make an attractive addition to any garden and add real heat to the food on your plate.
Pick whichever are the pepper varieties from the available list based on which you are willing to handle!