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When in bloom this Chinese shrub is a beauty, but through the rest of the season it has a coarse, rambling, ungainly look. Flowering quince is a spiny, medium-sized, deciduous shrub most noted for its clusters of bright red, bowl-shaped flowers that cover the plant in early spring, both before and after the foliage emerges. These are followed by small quince fruits that are edible and best eaten cooked into preserves or jelly.
The glossy, oval leaves of this hardy shrub are deep green and have small teeth along the edges. The branches are armed with long thorns that are strong and can cause painful scratches. Pretty rosaceous blooms of red are produced in spring, and fragrant, yellow-green, apple-shaped fruits ripen in the fall but offer no visual appeal.
The tough and adaptable flowering quince accepts a wide range of growing conditions but grows best in full sun and well-drained loam. Periods of winter cold are needed for good flowering and fruit set. Spring buds are often damaged by cold in its northernmost zones. This informal landscape shrub combines well with other early-bloomers, such as forsythias and early bulbs, and its cut branches can be forced into bloom in late winter. (info source: Learn2Grow.com)
Genus - Chaenomeles
Species - Speciosa
Common name - Flowering Chinese Quince
Pre-Treatment - Required
Hardiness zones - 5 - 9
Height - 3'-10' / 0.9m - 3.0m
Spread - 4'-15' / 1.2m - 4.6m
Plant type - Shrub
Vegetation type - Ornamental deciduous
Exposure - Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade
Growth rate - Medium
Soil PH - Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil type - Well Drained Clay, Loam, Sand
Water requirements - Drought Tolerant, Average Water
Care level - Easy
Landscape uses - Hedges, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier
Germination rate - 80%
Bloom season - Early Spring, Spring, Late Winter
Leaf / Flower color - Dark Green / Red-pink
| Useful Info | |
| Germination | - Moisten 1/2 cup or about 1 handful of peat moss. Place the peat moss into a sealable container or a zipper top plastic bag. - Place the flowering quince seeds into the bag or container of peat moss, then set in a cold location. The back of your refrigerator with the temperature set between 35 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. - Remove the bag or container from the refrigerator 90 days later and plant the seeds. - Fill up 1-gallon plastic planting pots with a good quality potting mix to about an inch from the rim. - Poke two holes, each 3/8 inch deep and spaced 2 inches apart, in each of the gallon pots. Plant one flowering quince seed into each of the holes. Scatter approximately 3/8 inch of potting soil over the seeds. - Set the pots in a sheltered location away from direct sunlight. Keep the flowering quince seeds moist so the soil is wet but not soggy. Germination can be lengthy, often taking four to six weeks. - Transplant the flowering quince into permanent locations the following spring. Be sure to provide the seedlings protection over winter; bring them indoors or set them in a temperate location. |
