The Flowering Quince Plant

The flowering quince shrub is a close cousin of the rose.

Flowering quince, or chaenomeles, is a low-maintenance cousin of the rose. While the shrub's deciduous foliage resembles that of a rose, with glossy dark green leaves and thorns on the stems, the flowers are distinctively simple. Spice-scented yellow fruits are produced in autumn that are relatively interchangeable with those of the quince tree, or common quince.

Flowers

Quince blossoms can be forced to bloom even earlier than they normally would, if brought inside.

Flowering quinces blossom in warm, solid colors: reds, oranges, pinks and white. Their blooms are round, shaped like oversize cherries, and often have contrasting stamens. They bloom in late winter or early spring; in mid- to late winter, when buds have set, branches can be cut and brought inside for early forced flowers.

Size and Shape

While most quince cultivars can become large, they are easily "trained."

Flowering quinces, depending on the particular cultivar, can grow to 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide. They respond well to being pruned right after flowering and can be kept small or shaped into trees. Like their rose cousins, quinces have thorns, making them effective barrier plantings.

Soil Preferences

Flowering quince will tolerate almost all soil conditions, other than alkaline.

The flowering quince actually prefers mildly infertile soil. It tolerates some amount of dryness but does not flourish in overly wet soil. Soil should be kept acidic or neutral as alkaline soil causes leaves to yellow.

Fruit

Quince fruit resemble pears, but should be cooked prior to eating.

Flowering quinces produce showy yellow fruit in the fall. The fruit have a notably spicy scent. While they are generally distasteful to eat fresh, they are often made into jellies and can be baked as a dessert.

Propagation

Flowering quinces are not only easy to grow, but also easy to propagate.

Quinces can be easily propagated. They will often send off suckers, new plants that grow up next to the parent, that can be dug out and replanted elsewhere. Pruned branches can be rooted and planted by the fall, and low-growing branches can be stripped and buried under soil in autumn for a new shrub by spring.

References

• "Taylor's Master Guide to Gardening"; Rita Buchanan and Roger Holmes, Eds.; 1994.
• "The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping"; Rosalind Creasy; 1982.
• University of Illinois Extension Service: Shrub Selector