Geranium Blog

Tournament of Ornamental Peppers: Medusa Keeps Jumping In Front Of The Camera

Medusa is putting on a spectacular color show. Still blooming and making new peppers, too.

Tournament of Ornamental Peppers: Chilly Chili

Chilly Chili is much taller than Medusa. It is just now starting to bloom and make peppers. I think it is showing a lot of promise.

Tournament of Ornamental Peppers: Post Your Pretty Peppers

Join the fun:

• All varieties of peppers and chilis may be considered ornamental.
• Post a photo of your most beautiful peppers/pepper plants on your blog by October 1, 2007. Use the term "Tournament of Ornamental Peppers" in your posting.
• Leave a note in my comments or email me (geraniums =at= momcom =dot= net) with a link to your post in case I don't see it right away.
• A winner will be named! It could be you! The winning gardener will receive massive bragging rights and an attractive button for their blog.

Tournament of Ornamental Peppers: Medusa

Medusa seems to be an overachiever among ornamental peppers. Her rivals, Chilly Chili and Bolivian Rainbow, have yet to reach this level of productivity. (More about that tomorrow.)

Medusa's little peppers are sweet and edible. They start out whitish green and change to yellow, orange and red. The bushes grow about 8 inches tall with a low, spreading habit.

Medusa Peppers

The Medusa peppers are well ahead of the other two ornamentals I'm growing. Medusa is producing numerous little twisted whitish-green peppers. These will soon turn yellow and orange. Her competitors in the Tournament of Ornamental Peppers are further behind: Bolivian Rainbow is blooming a lot with darling purple flowers, but no peppers yet. Chilly Chili is just starting to develop buds.

Ornamental Peppers

These are two of the three ornamental peppers I grew from seed this year. Bolivian Rainbow will grow little oval fruit that is extremely hot. The fruit is supposed to change colors - white, green, red, purple, yellow, orange. Chilly Chili (below) will have small, narrow, elongated peppers that are sweet.

No Shortage of Sweet Banana Peppers