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Flowering quince

Chaenomeles speciosa

Also called Chinese Quince, Japanese Quince, Japonica

Flowering quince
Photo: Abraham Jacobus Wendel, Public domain

Flowering quince is a thorny, deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub from eastern Asia, grown for its early red, pink or white flowers and its quince-like fruit. It is tolerant and easy to grow in temperate gardens, and is often used as an informal low hedge.

Family
Rosaceae (Rose family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water regularly while establishing, then only in long dry spells.
Soil
Well-drained garden soil; tolerates a wide range of soils.
Temperature
Hardy in temperate climates, tolerating cold winters; protect young plants from late frost.
How easy
Easy
Native range
China
Climate
temperate

About

Chaenomeles speciosa, the flowering quince, Chinese quince or Japanese quince, is a thorny deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub native to eastern Asia. It is taller than another commonly cultivated species, C. japonica, usually growing to about 2 m (6 ft 7 in). The flowers are usually red, but may be pink, white or green. The fruit is a fragrant, hard pome that resembles a quince.

How to grow it

This plant is widely cultivated in temperate regions for its twining habit and its showy flowers which appear early in the season, occasionally even in midwinter. It is frequently used as an informal low hedge. Numerous cultivars with flowers in shades of white, pink and red have been selected. The following cultivars and hybrids have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:

The following cultivars have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:

Other Chaenomeles plants

Maule's quince · Flowering quince

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Chaenomeles speciosa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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