GARDENING : INVINCIBLE CAPER BUSH RIGHT AT HOME IN L.A.

Byline: Joshua Siskin

As you travel east from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, there is one plant that keeps you company all along the way. It grows on the side of the road in earth that has seen no rain for many months. Its tentacled taproots search out every drop of water that exists beneath the parched ground of the Judean desert.

This plant does not resist harsh growing conditions; it thrives on them. It has smooth, round blue-green leaves and, during the summer, opens new flowers every day. These flowers have white petals that are adorned with clusters of long purple anthers. In desert temperatures that regularly exceed 120 degrees, flowering continues without interruption.

This invincible plant is the caper bush, Capparis spinosa. ``Capparis'' is the Greek word for caper; ``spinosa'' means spiny and refers to the thorns that grow along the stems of this plant.

The caper bush is native to Jerusalem, where it is found growing in crevices of ancient stone walls. At more than 50 feet above ground level, caper bushes cascade out of the famous Western Wall - constructed by Herod when he restored the Great Temple (first built by King Solomon) more than 2,000 years ago.

The caper bush is evergreen and defies deracination. In the book ``Flowers of Jerusalem,'' Avinoam Danin writes as follows: ``Anyone trying to uproot this plant from a wall will readily understand the comparison of the Hebrew nation to it in its tenacity and ability to rise again after being cut back.''

There is another site of great significance where caper bushes grow. It is Masada National Park, near the western edges of the Dead Sea, where, during the great revolt of Israel against Rome in the first century A.D., a group of zealots, determined to resist conquest, took refuge. Masada was a fortress at the top of an isolated mountain. For seven months, 15,000 Roman soldiers laid siege to Masada, which was populated by 967 men, women and children. When they no longer could hold out against Rome, this band of zealots chose to die by their own swords rather than be taken captive, forced to give up their religion and live as slaves. It is only natural that the caper bush, the world's most defiant plant, flowering luxuriously in the middle of summer, should flourish atop Masada.

By now you must be wondering if this is the same bush that produces the capers of culinary renown. Yes, comestible capers come from this plant. Capers actually are flower buds that are picked just before they open and then pickled in salt and vinegar.

Caper bushes are classic Mediterranean plants, requiring no summer water, and deserve wider use in Los Angeles gardens. Slowly, caper bushes have been making their way into local nurseries. David Silber grows them to perfection in Granada Hills. He has them for sale, by appointment, at his nursery. Call [phone] for more information.

Two months ago, I wrote about the magnificent lantana growing along the railroad tracks in Burbank, which seemed to be thriving without water, since no sprinklers are in the vicinity. Mary Young wrote to inform me that ``the city of Burbank uses big water trucks to sprinkle those lantana,'' but ``not often.''

On this same subject, I received a most informative letter from Floran Frank, in which I learned that ``back in the '60s Burbank had a wonderful Burbank Beautiful organization. We were unhappy with the way the railroad tracks looked, contacted the railroad people, and asked to plant something along the tracks. Believe it or not, we were told to get lost. However, we persevered and got our way.''

Frank continues: ``We decided on lantana because we thought it was hardy. We planted many colors of lantana, and most of them died. However, those orange flowered lantanas seem to have magical powers inside their blossoms. I always marvel at how they have gone on and on through heat wave after heat wave.''

Finally, I am reminded by Frank that ``today, gardens in Southern California are a big priority. Otherwise, you would not have a job.'' It's always healthy to be reminded of your vulnerability. At the end of the letter, there is this observation: ``Life in Burbank has changed, and the studios and their priorities now supercede any thoughts of beautifying this city.''

Gardening tip: If you must do planting this time of year, wait until early evening to do so. This will give your plants a good 12 hours to settle in before they have to face the heat of day.