Q. Will a caper bush (Capparis spinosa) grow in Las Vegas? Where might I buy one? I called a local nursery and got nowhere.
A. Briny capers are the unripened flower buds from a wild
spiny plant that grows in the Mediterranean region and parts of Asia. Immature
flowers from these plants are dried and then put in a brine solution for
preservation. Their lemony, floral hints might remind you slightly of green
olives since they are added to food as a condiment.
The plants are usually started from seed but I’m sure some entrepreneurial online nursery grows them as plants to sell. They are about 3 feet tall and wider than they are tall since the stems tend to lay down if given a lot of water.
I have never tried to grow them in our climate. They have enough cold tolerance and they are Mediterranean. I would try it on the Eastern side of a building with soil improvement and additional water at the time of planting. I’m no expert but if this plant grows in the dry, hot Mediterranean region, it has a good chance of surviving our desert climate as well. The information I saw maintains they are good down to winter temperatures of about 20°F when they get older and larger. If temperatures get in the low 20s this plant suckers from its base. Think Bay Laurel, oleander, Italian Cypress, and you’ll get an idea of the climate and soils they like.
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