Caper Bush Seeds

Caper Bush grows into a long-lived, heat-loving shrub with rounded fleshy leaves, striking white-to-pink flowers and unopened buds that can be cured as culinary capers.

Ready to grow capers? Follow our step-by-step Caper Grow Guide for dormancy preparation, sowing, germination and care advice.

Quick Grow Facts

• Plant Type: Long-lived, sprawling perennial subshrub; may remain leafy in frost-free conditions or rest and lose leaves in colder weather.
• Scientific Name: Capparis spinosa
• Cultivar / Series: Not stated on the current product or packet media.
• Seed Form: Raw, unpelleted seed. No separate chemical-treatment declaration is visible on the current packet media.
• Available Pack Sizes: Pack 1 g Raw and Pack 50 g Raw.
• Approximate Seed Count: About 20 seeds per 1 g and about 1,000 per 50 g; counts vary with seed size and packing.
• Best Sowing Window: Complete cold preparation so the warm sowing phase falls in spring; plant out after frost.
• Position: Full sun with exceptional drainage.
• Preparation: Soak 12–24 hours, then cold-stratify in barely damp medium in a refrigerator. If seed numbers allow, use one supplier-aligned batch for about 20 days and one insurance batch for 8–10 weeks.
• Scarification: Optional only on a small test batch; lightly scuff one spot and keep an unscarified comparison. Do not use concentrated acid at home.
• Sow Depth: 2 mm, matching the current packet.
• Germination Temperature: 20–25°C after cold preparation.
• Germination: May begin in 14–28 days, but staggered emergence can continue for 8–12 weeks.
• Moisture: Keep the seedling mix evenly moist, never saturated; established plants need far less water.
• Spacing: 150 cm minimum; mature branches may spread 2–3 m unless managed by pruning.
• Mature Size: Commonly about 60–90 cm high with long semi-prostrate branches; seed-grown plants vary.
• Harvest: Plan on 3–4 years for a useful bud crop, although timing varies.

Why Grow Caper Bush

• The unopened green flower buds can be properly salted, brined or pickled as culinary capers.
• Large white-to-pink flowers with violet stamens give the shrub strong ornamental value.
• Deep-rooted mature plants suit hot, dry gardens and need relatively little water once established.
• The low, spreading growth form works well over raised banks, rock gardens and dry-stone edges.

Garden Uses

Plant in a full-sun rock garden, raised gravel bed, dry slope or large deep container with unobstructed drainage. Give spreading branches room and keep possible hooked spines away from busy paths.

Growing Notes

• Use individual deep cells or pots so sensitive roots do not need to be separated later.
• After cold preparation, cover seed by 2 mm and keep at 20–25°C in bright filtered light.
• Do not discard a clean, correctly moist tray at day 28; caper seed can germinate sporadically for up to three months.
• Move seedlings with the complete root ball, harden them gradually and plant out only after frost.
• Water through establishment, then reduce frequency as the deep root system develops; never leave roots standing in water.
• From the third year, shorten dormant stems in late winter while leaving about 7–10 cm above the crown for new productive shoots.

Food and seed safety: Harvest only correctly identified Capparis spinosa grown with inputs suitable for edible crops. Culinary capers are properly processed unopened buds, not fresh buds straight from the plant. Seed is for sowing, not eating; keep it away from children and pets and follow any warning on the physical packet.

Brought to you by Ubuntuberg Seeds, where our mission is to cultivate humanity & harvest unity. Ubuntuberg Seeds: the highest quality seed stock in all of Southern Africa, sourced from sustainable farms, guaranteeing you the best quality seed stock.