Ornamental hot peppers (Capsicum sp.) and their exciting use throughout the landscape are finally entering the lexicon of most gardeners. The contributions of colorful fruits in white, cream, yellow, orange, red, purple and black are significant, particularly later in the season as the fruits ripen up over the hot summer months. Many varieties will go through a colorful transition with multiple colors of fruiting on the same plant.

The ornamental impact of these increasingly vivid fruits can rival any bedding plant late in summer. Most ornamental hot peppers have some common traits which include shorter stature, fruits that are frequently staged and held above the foliage and, of course, the colorful fruiting show that is exceptional until the hardest of frost.

Why ornamental peppers?

It is important to note that while “ornamental hot peppers” are edible, they are not bred for culinary value and frequently lack the depth of taste that many traditional hot pepper varieties provide in terms of a flavor profile. Most ornamental hot peppers have muted taste, but a whole lot of heat.

With limited to no culinary history, most of the ornamental hot peppers haven’t been researched for Scoville heat units (SHU) that reflect the heat of these fruits. Be wary of the unknown. Keep in mind that some people have severe allergic reactions in relation to eating, handling or even being near hot peppers in the garden.

It is important to also note that some of our most common hot peppers (i.e. ‘Jalapeno’, ‘Tabasco’, ‘Scotch Bonnet’, etc.) are also beautiful when the fruits transition to more intense color as they ripen.

A feature of merit that is often overlooked in the category of ornamental hot peppers is the contribution of ornamental foliage. As with any type of plant, having multiple features of interest diversifies the ornamental contributions of the plant, adds additional or lengthier interest and in the case of ornamental foliage, may become the primary feature of interest.

With ornamental hot peppers becoming so popular in bedding schemes, container arrangements, later season displays and simply for general use, the contribution of ornamental foliage broadens the opportunity for using these plants in showy and imaginative combinations.

Here are a few of my favorite ornamental pepper varieties available today.

White/cream variegated ornamental hot peppers

I’m personally a big fan of variegation in any type of plant. While we might be selecting certain plants for interesting form, flowers, fall color, etc., having the additional contribution of variegation just adds to the extended show. That’s certainly the case with variegated ornamental hot peppers as well.

Some great selections with the white/cream contribution include Uchu (9 inches), ‘Sparkler’ (18 inches) and the classic selection ‘Fish’ (24 inches). It’s interesting to note that in some instances, the variegation extends to the fruits as well. This is the case with both ‘Sparkler’ and ‘Fish’. This variegation, while varying in prominence, is still visible throughout the color transition of the fruits. All of these selections have a fruiting transition from cream to yellow, orange and finally red with multiple colors on display depending on the maturity of separate fruits.

If you are interested in variegated sweet pepper selections, look for ‘Confetti’ or ‘Candy Cane Red’ which are both mini-bell selections with impressive variegation of foliage and fruits.

Violet/purple variegated ornamental hot peppers

For simply the sheer value of foliage contribution, these selections are excellent. I’ve grown ‘Purple Flash’ ornamental hot pepper for over 20 years and never tire of the reliable, variable, purple variegation seen throughout the foliage with no two leaves being identical.

Reaching 15 inches in height, this is truly a bedding plant known for prominent foliage as the fruits are jet-black, quite small and truly a secondary asset to the foliage.

The variety ‘Tricolor Variegata’ (18 inches) is another classic selection with similar splashes of purple and cream over the foliage. However, the thin, long fruits of this selection become more prominent as they transition from deep purple to bright red.

Dark foliage

My personal favorite ornamental hot pepper is the variety ‘Black Pearl’ which displays near-black foliage in full sun. The fruits emerge a glossy black and age to a bright red late in the season. This 2006 All-America Selections (AAS) winner reaches 24 inches in height and offers a rich, bold color with and without the fruiting contribution.

Additional AAS winners with black foliage and similar impact include ‘Black Olive’ (18 inches), ‘Black Hawk’ (12 inches) and Onyx Red (9 inches). All of these selections have the same colorful fruit transition from glossy black to bright red.

The variety ‘Count Dracula’ (16 inches) was another favorite with a black, matte-finish foliage contribution with short, elongated fruiting that also goes from black to red. Full sun is absolutely necessary to get the deepest black foliage coloration on all of these selections. Emerging foliage, while having hints of green, will all deepen and darken in full sun during the hot summer months.

The author was the director of horticulture at Rotary Botanical Gardens for 21 years. He now operates Landscape Prescriptions by MD. landscapeprescriptionsmd.com

The Philadelphia Flower Show, which was hosted by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society June 3-15, featured dazzling displays at this year’s event, which was themed “Habitat: Nature’s Masterpiece.” Held outdoors for the first time in the show’s 193-year history, it featured more than 75 installations and floral displays spanning over 15 acres of space in Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park. Here are some of the show-stopping exhibitions that caught our eye.

Growing and thriving as an independent garden center means making meaningful connections and engaging with our customers on a level that feels authentic and natural. For our own sake, and that of our audience. When it comes to customer targeting and marketing, what feels natural to women and men often differs greatly. When deciding on whether to cater to one or the other, your choice and strategy should reflect your core business goals and values, and, of course, the products and services you think can garner you the most profit.

Typically, garden center customer demographics are so varied that it behooves most businesses to develop multiple customer avatars, then target each one when and how it makes the most sense. That said, there’s nothing wrong with going all-in for one primary customer profile — or sex — if putting all your eggs in that basket makes sense for your business.

Generally speaking, men tend to be loyal to specific brands they can relate to, while women tend to be much more loyal to good service, regardless of brand. Good service for men often equates to being able to find exactly the product they need quickly and without assistance. For women, good customer service is often far more nuanced. The experience and trust-building become more important. How you speak to women and the experience they’ll have, not just the products you have on hand, is a crucial differentiator. So, are you a product- and convenience-focused operation, or are you more experience-focused?

While the bulk of our IGC customers have traditionally been women, I’ve been asked if it’s a smart idea for garden centers to cater directly to a male audience. More specifically, how would a garden center know if this is a good strategy? Well, I suppose that depends on your goals, specific products and services, and your location within your city or region. Your local demographics, and from how far you tend to draw customers, should always be a major factor in who and how you target. It’s also important, when choosing a target customer, to consider overall consumer trends related to what you offer. The percentage of Americans engaged in lawn care plus gardening activities bottomed out big time in 2019. In 2019 The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey showed a historic low of only 8.7% of Americans 15 years and older engaged in lawn care and related gardening activities (tilling, hardscape, etc.). More and more, lawn care and such heavier gardening tasks often taken on by the male gardener of the house, have been outsourced.

The COVID-19 pandemic, however, decidedly swung the pendulum in the opposite direction, nearly doubling the number of first-time gardeners in 2020. That said, flower gardening, vegetable gardening, wildlife support and houseplants (versus lawn care and traditional heavy DIY landscaping) headline the consumer conversation. So, taking a male-centric approach to your IGC marketing could be a risky endeavor if you expect to grow sales in traditional lawn and landscape products. If, however, you’ve pivoted to offer more edibles, wildlife-friendly plants, and indoor gardening plants and products, then you may have more success.

Conventional generalities aside, I’ve seen a visible uptick in young male gardeners making their new plant passions public, especially when it comes to their houseplants and vegetable gardens. I’ve also observed plant-related interests becoming more homogeneous between the sexes. Women appear to be doing a lot more landscaping and garden building, and men are digging into a lot more flower and indoor gardening. Therefore, differentiating between a male and female audience within your customer base — at least when it comes to product and service categories — will probably become less important over time. Younger gardeners of both sexes also tend to ally more closely with brands they feel they can trust, from a big-picture standpoint.

Sustainability, transparency, authenticity and lifestyle relevance all play heavily in building trust with the next generation of gardeners — male and female alike.

Ultimately, figuring out how to target both women and men distinctly and appropriately within your customer base comes down to understanding their pain points and how they correlate to your business goals. What problems do women need solved, versus men, when it comes to the products and services you have to offer? Time is a critical pain point for most people but women who are juggling primary childcare duties, domestic duties and an outside job bear a distinct burden. This is one of the reasons the experience they have during the time they give you is so important. Convenience and productivity are often classic male consumer pain points, so having what they need when they want it on demand is non-negotiable. Again, these are generalities — and these pain points cross over to both sexes — but generalities exist for a reason.

When deciding whether to cater primarily to either men or women — or both equally — always fall back to your primary company mission and goals. Having a clear company identity, value system and brand will always help guide you to the right customer.

Leslie (CPH) owns Halleck Horticultural, LLC, through which she provides horticultural consulting, business and marketing strategy, product development and branding, and content creation for green industry companies. lesliehalleck.com