Calico Ornamental Pepper

Calico is a compact ornamental pepper grown for dramatic foliage and dark fruit. Its strongly variegated leaves combine purple, cream, and green, creating a colorful accent in a sunny container or garden bed. ## Foliage and size The [Ball Seed plant profile](https://www.ballseed.com/PlantInfo/?phid=045600001000942) identifies Calico as an annual ornamental pepper and describes its mounded, upright habit, colorful foliage, and glossy black fruit. It gives a mature height of 10–12 inches and width of 14–16 inches, matching the current catalog labels. Ball notes that the fruit is very spicy and not recommended for eating. ## Siting Ball recommends sun and lists Calico for mixed containers and in-ground plantings. Its grower guidance describes the plant as compact, well-branched, heat tolerant, and suitable for landscape and container use. Use a freely draining potting mix or garden soil and avoid treating ornamental fruit as food unless growing history is known. For peppers generally, [Utah State University Extension](https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/peppers-in-the-garden) recommends fertile, well-drained soil and deep, infrequent irrigation, and notes that peppers do poorly in heavy, wet soils. ## Maintenance Water consistently while plants establish, then adjust to weather and container conditions. Remove the annual plant after frost ends its season; keep containers where the foliage and fruit can be seen.