Christmas Peppers Capsicum annuum

Cayenne Pepper  is a pepper that can be easily grown either in an outdoor pot or in the garden. Edible varieties are used as a spice in food while ornamental varieties can add eye-popping color to your garden. Capsicum annuum requires full sun but is a great heat and drought-tolerant annual. For best results, start from seed indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost date and set seedlings or purchased plants out in the garden after any possibility of frost. It can be temperamental if its roots are disturbed and it prefers full sun and moist, well-drained, rich soil. It is best to keep this plant's soil consistently and evenly moist. To promote a bushy appearance, you can pinch young plants. Flowers give way to edible peppers, ranging from extremely hot chili peppers to sweet bell peppers.

It is a herbaceous perennial and will grow well in the garden at the higher USDA zones; however, lower zones may be problematic. In North Carolina and many other places with cold or harsh winters, peppers are best grown as annuals because they are tender to the cold.  Ornamental peppers, though in the same family as normal peppers and though they are technically edible, will lack the taste necessary to be used properly in culinary applications. Some varieties can be excessively spicy, much more than normal pepper varieties but are typically grown for their exotic and breathtaking colors.  Fortunately, this plant is seldom damaged by deer.

Insects Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:  This plant has a few potential pests. It is important to look out for aphids, whiteflies, cutworms, pepper maggots, and Colorado potato beetles. This plant is also sensitive to Verticillium wilt (a fungal pathogen) and mosaic virus (which should show a uniform yellow-green mosaic across the leaves followed by wilt).

VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Nuts" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.   

More information on Capsicum.