Plant Finder

Moana Nursery High Desert Plant Finder & Guide

Other Names:  Ornamental Chili, Chili Pepper

Description:

This heat tolerant and low maintenance variety produces bushy, glossy green foliage with upward facing clusters of colorful yellow fruit that mature to bright fire red; a wonderful addition to hot and sunny containers, borders or window boxes

Ornamental Features

Blaze Ornamental Pepper is primarily grown for its highly ornamental fruit. The fruits are showy yellow peppers with a orange blush and which fade to red over time, which are carried in abundance from late spring to early fall. Its attractive glossy pointy leaves remain dark green in color throughout the season. It features subtle white star-shaped flowers with creamy white overtones dangling from the stems from late spring to mid summer.

This plant is primarily grown as an ornamental, but it's also valued for its edible qualities. The narrow spicy peppers are most often used in the following ways:

• Cooking
• Drying
• Pickling
• Seasoning
• Sauces

Landscape Attributes

Blaze Ornamental Pepper is an herbaceous annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Blaze Ornamental Pepper is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Blaze Ornamental Pepper will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 6 inches apart. This vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. This plant does not require much in the way of fertilizing once established. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Blaze Ornamental Pepper is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.