How to Grow and Care for Caper Bush

You may be familiar with capers, used for culinary purposes around the world, without realizing that they actually come from a popular (and quite beautiful) bush. Native to the Mediterranean, the caper bush is most often grown for its unripened flower buds, which are picked, dried, and brined, then used to add a burst of tangy, intense flavor to a variety of dishes. Best planted in spring, caper bushes produce fragrant flowers and can make a wonderful addition to your garden

Caper Bush Care

Under the right conditions, caper bushes will grow prolifically and won't require a lot of maintenance. Here are their most important needs.

• Plant in a well-draining potting mix.
  
• Water sparingly.
• Plant in an area that receives plenty of direct sunlight, at least six to eight hours a day.
• Feed the plant while it's young with slow-release fertilizer solution a few times in the spring and summer.
• Plant in well-draining soil.
  

Light

Caper bushes need plenty of direct sunlight to thrive. Plant them somewhere where they can get at least six to eight hours of light a day. If partial shade is the only option in your landscape, aim for a spot that gets morning sun and afternoon shade, which will shield them from the hottest part of the day.

Soil

Caper bushes are pretty easy-going when it comes to their soil. They thrive in blends of all types, including soil that is low in nutrients, sandy, or especially gravelly. The same goes for the pH level of their soil—acidic, neutral, and alkaline are all fine options. The only necessity caper bushes have is a planting location that is well-draining. The bush hates "wet feet" and will languish if its soil does not dry out quickly.

Water

Caper bushes have a deep root system and foliage that finds and retain moisture easily. When you first plant them, they will need more frequent watering in order to establish themselves in your landscape. After this, only minimal watering will be necessary and the plant will become drought-tolerant.

Temperature and Humidity

Just like in their native environment, caper bushes will thrive in locations where they experience dry heat. In very hot regions, the plant may remain evergreen, but it will lose its leaves if temperatures drop significantly in winter. If you experience hot summers but chillier winters, consider keeping your bush in a suitably sized container and bringing it indoors when the temperatures drop. Caper bushes are only hardy down to around 18 degrees Fahrenheit and will die if exposed to temperatures lower than this.

Fertilizer

An established caper bush can thrive in highly infertile soil and won't need additional feeding. However, for the first couple of years, while the plant is still young, feeding with a slow-release fertilizer solution a few times in the spring and summer will be beneficial. For the amounts to use, follow product label instructions.

Pruning Caper Bush

Hard pruning your caper bush each winter encourages healthy new blooms the following year and helps the shrub maintain a tidy shape. For newer young plants, wait several years to prune them as they get established—they should be producing buds for at least two years before you start pruning.

Propagating Caper Bush

Patience, perseverance, and care are required if you plan on trying to grow caper bushes from stem cuttings. The optimal time to collect cuttings is February to April.

1. Select spring basal cuttings that have a decent number of buds on them—ideally, they should be around 4 inches long.
2. Dip the base of the cutting in a rooting hormone to up the chances of establishment.
3. Insert a pencil into your potting medium to create a hole.
4. Plant the cuttings in loose, well-draining soil in full sun. Keep warm and moist for at least two weeks.
   

How to Grow Caper Bush From Seed

Many gardeners opt to buy a young caper bush from a nursery, as the dormant seeds from the plant are known for being tricky to germinate. If you want to give it a try, begin by soaking the seeds for 24 hours. If the seeds aren't fresh, they will also need a period of cold stratification—the seeds should be kept moist, sealed, and refrigerated for at least a couple of months.

After the stratification process is complete, make sure that you give the seeds an additional 24 hours soaking in warm water before sowing them. The medium you choose to sow the seeds in should be loose, well-draining, and moist. Although germination can start around a month after sowing, it can also take up to three months.

Great care should be taken when transplanting delicate seedlings—they don't take kindly to having their roots disturbed. Overly hot or cold temperatures are also problematic, and seedings should be kept out of direct sunlight or housed indoors during colder temperatures until they're well-established.

Potting and Repotting Caper Bush

Caper bush grows well in pots as long as the container drains well. A 4- to 6-inch pot should be sufficient for seedlings and younger plants. When the plant about doubles in size, repot in a larger container and add new soil. Continue to repot once a year in order to replenish the nutrients in the soil. Take care to disturb the roots as little as possible, especially when the plant is still young

Overwintering

Caper bush should be grown in containers and overwintered indoors or in a greenhouse if you live in an area with a very chilly winter. Simply bring the container inside when the temperature begins to drop below about 20 degrees Fahrenheit and place near a sunny window.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

Although a hearty plant, a caper bush is susceptible to a few pests depending on where it's grown. Cabbage moth and cabbageworms will leave their eggs on the underside of the leaves creating substantial holes along with snails and slugs. Additionally, flea beetle and flies are attracted to the buds of the bush. Cucumber mosaic virus can also spread to the plant via aphid infestation. This is even rarer having only been seen in certain regions. Use plant netting to protect from butterflies and moths or an insecticide spray if your plant is already infested.

How to get Caper Bush to Bloom

Best planted in the spring, caper bushes will produce fragrant and ornamental white flowers with beautiful violet stamens once established.

Bloom Months

Caper Bush plants will bloom profusely from late spring to early fall if the buds remain unpicked.

How Long Does Caper Bush Bloom?

A caper bush will bloom continuously for a period of 3 to 5 months over late spring to early fall. Each flower will last only for a day or less but if you let the bush spread freely, you're likely to see flowers through the season.

What Do Caper Bush's Flowers Look and Smell Like?

These plants produce showy blooms on long pedicils that are 2 to 3 inches wide. Each flower has four sepals and four white to pinkish-white petals, many long pale purple stamens, and a single stigma usually rising well above the stamens.

How to Encourage More Blooms

To get them to bloom profusely, prune back significantly to a much more compact bush before the winter. Keep the soil moist and leave the buds unpicked when they appear in the new blooming season.

Caring for Caper Bush After it Blooms

After the blooming period, it is important to cut back your caper bush by about a third of its size for the winter months. This will promote more flowering shoots in the following season.

Deadheading Caper Bush Flowers

You can deadhead caper bush flowers daily during the blooming season to encourage new blooms or let them turn into caper berries. These are oblong, edible fruits that can be harvested, pickled, and used similar to olives. If left on the vine, they will eventually burst open revealing their seeds and dry out.