Hamish
Capsicum chinense 'Scotch Bonnet'
Straight, textured tan trunk with branches wired out in tiers and the top cut back, giving an upright tree shape. Surface roots are starting to show at the base.
His chillies have been dried and ground into chilli powder for cooking.
Chillies thicken quickly, so check the wire regularly for biting in.
- Common name
- Scotch bonnet chilli
- Section
- Bonsai (also in Fruit, veg & herbs)
- Style
- Formal upright (chokkan)
- Spot
- Indoors
- Soil
- Westland bonsai mix
- Options
Potential
Bonchi: a formal upright is the recorded direction for Hamish, with a compact woody outline and the possibility of future fruit.
- From
- A supermarket (rescued in a sad state), 2026
- Age
- About 1 year
- Next repot
- Around Mar 2027
- Edible
- ✅ Yes, if you dare. Keep away from eyes.
- Hardy
- ❌ No: indoors all winter
- Garden-centre price
- about £8
Did you know?
Named for its likeness to a Scottish tam o' shanter bonnet, and up to around 40 times hotter than a jalapeño.
Care & updates
- Next root check
- Mar 2027
- What to expect
- Slow and steady: expect fresh shoots each spring to pinch back, thickening a little more each year.
- Feeding
- Every 14 days, Apr–Aug, with Tomato feed, half strength
- Styled
Root wire off. Rewired: none needed up top now, and thicker wire on the branches, which are tough and treat a bend as a suggestion. Larger leaves nipped off. Light feed of seaweed extract.
- Observation
Surface roots showing at the base: the makings of a nebari.
- Observation
A couple of yellowed leaves dropped, likely from the move indoors and the cutback.
- Styled
Approximate date. Leader and branches cut back, root-pruned into training pot, roots tied in with wire. Trunk and branches wired with green aluminium wire. Brought indoors for winter.
🎮
Taz munches hot chilli peppers and breathes fire.
Look it up →