AMERICAN GARDENER

Orange colored fruits get their color from carotenoids, a family of pigments that the human body can turn into vitamin A. Unlike the red and purple pigments in berries, carotenoids dissolve in fat and not in water. They do not bleed into juice or batter, and they survive cooking almost unchanged. Carotenoids usually color the … Read more

Green colored fruits are green because of chlorophyll, the same pigment that colors leaves. In most fruits, chlorophyll breaks down at ripening and other colors take over. That is why green so often means not ready. The fruits on this list defy that rule in 3 different ways. Some stay green even when fully ripe, … Read more

Purple colored fruits owe their color to anthocyanins, the same pigments that make other fruits red, only packed in more densely. The exact shade depends on how acidic the fruit’s cells are, with more acid pushing the color toward red and less acid toward blue. A waxy surface film, called bloom, adds the dusty blue … Read more

Purple vegetables bring an unusual combination of color, texture, and flavor to the kitchen garden. Their deep shades can range from soft lavender and violet to rich purple-black, depending on the vegetable and variety. Many of these vegetables are familiar crops that have purple cultivars, while others are naturally recognized for their colorful leaves, stems, … Read more

White colored fruits are white because something is missing, not because something was added. No fruit makes a white pigment. Flesh or skin looks white when it has no red, yellow, or green pigments and light scatters off the tiny air spaces between its cells. That absence shows up in 2 ways. In most cases … Read more

Pink colored fruit is, in nearly every case, red fruit with the pigment turned down. The same compounds that make a tomato or a cherry red produce pink when there is less of them or when they sit over a pale background. That is why most pink fruits are close relatives of red ones. The … Read more

The many types of red fruit in American stores and gardens get their color from just 4 pigments. Strawberries, cherries, and apples are red because of anthocyanins. Tomatoes and watermelon rely on lycopene, dragon fruit and prickly pear on betalains, and peppers on a pigment called capsanthin. Knowing which pigment is at work explains a … Read more

The many types of yellow fruits sold in American stores share a color but not a reason for it. In most of them, yellow appears when green chlorophyll breaks down and uncovers the carotenoid pigments that were there all along. In a few, such as yellow raspberries and yellow watermelon, the fruit is yellow because … Read more

Pink berries can give shrubs an unusual appearance, especially when they develop against green foliage in late summer, fall, or winter. Unlike the more familiar red, orange, purple, and black berries, pink fruits tend to create a softer and less common color effect in the landscape. Several shrubs produce berries that are naturally pink, while … Read more

Red flowers with yellow centers are among the easiest blooms to spot from across a yard, because the two colors sit at full strength right next to each other. The pairing shows up in annuals, perennials, shrubs, and even pond plants. It is common enough that most American gardens already hold at least one example. … Read more