Capparis spinosa

Have you ever wondered exactly what Capers are and where they come from? It may surprise you to hear that they’re actually the pickled, unopened flower buds of the Caper plant, Capparis spinosa. Native to the Mediterranean, Capers are a highly ornamental trailing plant that can grow to become a small bush. If you happen to have a retaining wall, these plants will naturally drape over the edges creating a waterfall of almost perfectly circular foliage. If you have the patience to wait and allow your Caper blossoms to open, the profuse flowers are truly incredible. While less common in the grocery store aisles, the spent Caper flowers will also produce an edible fruit that can be pickled and enjoyed in your next savory dish.

While native to the dry and warm regions surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, Capers are actually cold tolerant and naturally winter deciduous. We’ve found that even after a snowy winter where our vines die back to the roots, they’ll still come back year and year larger and more vigorous than the last. The plants that we offer for sale are a spineless variety which make harvesting the flower buds easy. Our seeds available will likely produce spiny plants, which have the same delicious flavor with an added dash of danger. Seeds come in packs of 20 dried seeds.

Cold hardy to USDA zone 8b and above or to 15 degrees Fahrenheit.