Worth knowing:
The Caper Plant is a small, carefree and heat-tolerant shrub. The pea-sized flower buds grow on stalks that spring from the leaf axils of the long branches. The caper that is commonly used in the kitchen is actually not the fruit of the plant, but the unopened, fresh flower bud that has been dried and pickled in a mix of salt, vinegar and oil. If the flower buds are not taken off, the shrub develops about 4 cm big, delicately pink-coloured flower heads with tussocks of purple stamens that produce small, cucumber-like fruits, which are commonly served in Spain as side dish or used in tapas.
Natural Location:
The natural habitat of the Caper Plant is across the whole Mediterranean region and in Southwest Asia, where it mainly grows on rocks and in clefts.
Cultivation:
Place:
The Caper Plant prefers to be kept all year in the full sun, a place in a conservatory or near a window to the south would be ideal. Tub plants can also be kept in a full sunny spot outdoors in the garden during the summer season.
Care:
The best option for pot or tub cultivation is permeable cactus soil to get rid of excess water easily. Water the Caper Plant only moderately since its succulent fleshy leaves can store copious amounts of water, and avoid waterlogging in the pot as well as in the saucer. Only fertilize the plant once a month during summer. In autumn or at the beginning of sprouting in spring, you can prune back the shrub to one third of its size.
During the winter:
The Caper Plant is not frost-hard and can tolerate only short periods with temperatures up to -5° Celsius. It best hibernates in a preferably bright and cool place with a temperature of about 5° to 10° Celsius. Water only sparsely, just so the clotted roots don’t dry out, and air the hibernation room regularly on frost-free days.
Picture credits:
- © © 1. Ghislain118 2. Donkey shot - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Godromil - Public domain - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/
- © Ghislain118 - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
- © C T Johansson - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
- © Frank Vincentz - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
- © C T Johansson - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
- © Florian Prischl - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
