Caper bush (Capparis spinosa)

A perennial semi-shrub that is not hardy and only tolerates temperatures of a minimum of -5°C for a short time. Frost-free, cool and bright hibernation in the house is recommended during the winter. The shrub grows naturally in rocky, calcareous, dry and lean locations in full sunshine. In the garden, the plant needs a lean, dry location with very good drainage. It does not grow very high, as the branches hang down and grow almost crawling on the ground, so that the caper shrub can be used well as a ground cover and rock garden plant. It grows excellently on dry stone walls.

Indoor sowing can take place all year round. The seeds should be stratified, i.e. they need cold to germinate. To do this, keep the seeds warm with a little moist sand (e.g. in a freezer bag) for about two weeks, then store in the refrigerator for 4-6 weeks (never in the freezer!). Then sow the seeds normally at +20-26°C. Sowing depth: 1 cm. Germinates irregularly in approx. 6-8 weeks. Pre-soaking the seeds in warm water for about 24 hours promotes germination.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to grow the caper shrub from seed. The overall germination rate of the seeds is usually rather poor. Once germination has been achieved, further problems can unfortunately occur when transplanting the young plants, because the plant has a very sensitive root system and responds badly to the change of location. Repot it only if absolutely necessary, and when doing this carefully dig out the root ball with a lot of surrounding soil. As this is a deep-rooting plant, you should select high pots as a precaution and leave enough space for the roots.