Varieties of Ornamental Corn

Blue Ornamental Corn

• Several miniature varieties of blue corn are available. Try Miniature Blue or Little Boy Blue for their shiny, bright-blue kernels on cobs that measure 2 to 4 inches long. Both varieties take 100 days to mature. Shades of Blue has slightly longer ears with attractive red and white husks. This variety is also used for popcorn.

Pink Ornamental Corn

• Miniature Pink, Little Bo Peep, Little Miss Muffet and Cutie Pink also take 100 days to mature. The miniature cobs have glossy pink kernels and range from 2 to 4 inches long. The variety Strawberry takes 105 days to mature and has 2-inch, strawberry-shaped cobs of brilliant pink kernels. This variety is also used for popcorn.

Red Ornamental Corn

• The kernels on the 7-inch cobs of Robust Ruby Red range from rich, dark red to burgundy. This variety is also used for popcorn. Bloody Butcher has dark-red kernels on ears more than 11 inches long. This variety also has attractive red husks.

Multicolored Ornamental Corn

• Autumn Explosion, a large-eared variety that produces multicolored ears 8 to 9 inches long, takes 102 days to mature. Earth Tones Dent takes only 90 days from seed to harvest. True to its name, Green and Gold Dent produces cobs with both green and dark-yellow kernels. This variety takes about 95 days to mature and the cobs are 8 to 10 inches long. Little Bell Ornamental is larger than miniature corn but smaller than standard-size ornamental corn, producing multicolored ears 6 to 7 inches long. Hybrid Lil' Indian produces 3- to 6-inch ears in a carnival of colors, including black. Cutie Pops is a fast-growing miniature that matures in about 100 days and produces kernels in solid and multicolored shades of red, brown, burgundy, yellow and blue.