Plant Library

Other Names:  Ornamental Pepper

Group/Class:  Ornamental

Brand:  Seeds By Design

Description:

A visually stunning ornamental variety, Black Hawk produces dark purple foliage; black fruit ripens to red; not recommended to eat due to their extreme spiciness; drought tolerant; great for containers and gardens

Ornamental Features

Black Hawk Ornamental Pepper is primarily grown for its highly ornamental fruit. The fruits are showy black peppers which fade to red over time, which are carried in abundance from late summer to early fall. Its attractive pointy leaves emerge light green in spring, turning deep purple in color with hints of black throughout the season. It features subtle white star-shaped flowers with purple overtones along the stems from late spring to early fall.

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

• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Cooking
• Canning
• Sauces

Landscape Attributes

Black Hawk 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. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Black Hawk Ornamental Pepper is recommended for the following landscape applications;

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

Planting & Growing

Black Hawk Ornamental Pepper will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 8 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 does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. 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.

Black Hawk 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.