 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Flowering Quince are known, and sought out, primarily for their blossoms. Known to some as a "one season"
bonsai, as they are trained often singly for their early spring time blossoms, they can still offer an interesting
specimen the rest of the year as well, especially in older plants. Flowers range in colour from white, pink, salmon,
reds and oranges, and come in single (five petals) or double (more than five petal) blooms. Small to medium leaves
in a glossy green come after the blooms, followed in autumn by yellow to red aromatic fruit. Though tart, the fruit
is edible and is often used in making jellies and jams. Flowering Quince have a gnarly, suckering habit, and are
often seen in clump styles.
Hardiness: Zone 4. Winter protection for extended periods below freezing. Early flowering can be encouraged by
keeping it completely frost free, but flowering will suffer without any cold exposure at all.
Light: Full sun to partial shade. Full sun for best blooms and fruit. Partial shade if cannot be checked for watering
needs daily.
Soil: Prefers soils with a neutral to slightly low pH. High in organic matter.
Watering: Plenty of water during growing season. Water daily through summer. Will wilt quickly with lack of
water, and entire branches can die off if not watered immediately. Lower watering through winter, just enough to
keep soil from completely dehydrating.
Fertilizer: low nitrogen from spring, after blooming, to midsummer. Nitrogen free from midsummer through fall,
tapering off to nothing in winter by leaf drop.
Pests and Diseases: Leaf spot, canker, spider mites, scale and aphids.
Repotting: Repot in fall or immediately after flowering in spring every one to two years. Do not fertilize for three
weeks if repotting in spring, not at all if repotting in fall.
Pruning and Styling: Remove spent blossoms to conserve the plant's energy, unless you want fruit. Keep in mind
however that the fruit tends to be slightly too large for the tree, and eats up excessive amounts of energy. If you
wish, keep only a few on the tree, removing the others before they fully ripen. They grow tight to the branch, and
removal of ripe fruit can cause damage to the flowering spurs.
Prune current years growth to two buds immediately after flowering. Allow to grow through summer, cutting back
hard to two or three buds again in late summer, early fall, when the new growth begins to harden off and change
to brown colour. Those buds will develop into flowering spurs over the next couple of years.
Flowering Quince regularly and frequently throw up suckers. Do not allow too many to grow, as they will drain
too much energy from the main plant. Remove unwanted suckers, pruning back others hard to encourage
interesting shapes and flowering. The constant removal of suckers induces an interesting root surface, which can be
exposed by planting the tree higher in the pot than one normally might.
Propagation: Suckers. Semi-ripe cuttings in midsummer. Layering in autumn. Sow seeds outdoors in autumn.
Styles and Forms: Twin trunk, three trunk, clump, exposed root, cascade, semi-cascade, raft. Growth is too
irregular and twisting for upright or broom styles.
Species and Cultivars: C. speciosa - Common Flowering Quince. Very vigorous.
C. "Contorta" - twisted stems and foliage, white, red or salmon blossoms.
C. "Nivalis" - White blossoms
C. "Texas Scarlet" - Short habit, red blooms
C. "Toyo Nishiki" - Cultivar with white, pink and red blossoms all on the same plant.
C. japonica - Japanese Flowering Quince. Popular bonsai subject. Less virorous than C.speciosa. Pink, red and orange
flowers.
C. "Chojuba" - Dwarf variety, comes in red and light yellow (Chojuba White) flowers.
C. sinensis - Chinese Quince. Now correctly classified as Pseudocydonia sinensis, a single species Genus. Very
similar to Chaenomeles, with a slightly more tree-like habit.
Other Information:
bonsai, as they are trained often singly for their early spring time blossoms, they can still offer an interesting
specimen the rest of the year as well, especially in older plants. Flowers range in colour from white, pink, salmon,
reds and oranges, and come in single (five petals) or double (more than five petal) blooms. Small to medium leaves
in a glossy green come after the blooms, followed in autumn by yellow to red aromatic fruit. Though tart, the fruit
is edible and is often used in making jellies and jams. Flowering Quince have a gnarly, suckering habit, and are
often seen in clump styles.
Hardiness: Zone 4. Winter protection for extended periods below freezing. Early flowering can be encouraged by
keeping it completely frost free, but flowering will suffer without any cold exposure at all.
Light: Full sun to partial shade. Full sun for best blooms and fruit. Partial shade if cannot be checked for watering
needs daily.
Soil: Prefers soils with a neutral to slightly low pH. High in organic matter.
Watering: Plenty of water during growing season. Water daily through summer. Will wilt quickly with lack of
water, and entire branches can die off if not watered immediately. Lower watering through winter, just enough to
keep soil from completely dehydrating.
Fertilizer: low nitrogen from spring, after blooming, to midsummer. Nitrogen free from midsummer through fall,
tapering off to nothing in winter by leaf drop.
Pests and Diseases: Leaf spot, canker, spider mites, scale and aphids.
Repotting: Repot in fall or immediately after flowering in spring every one to two years. Do not fertilize for three
weeks if repotting in spring, not at all if repotting in fall.
Pruning and Styling: Remove spent blossoms to conserve the plant's energy, unless you want fruit. Keep in mind
however that the fruit tends to be slightly too large for the tree, and eats up excessive amounts of energy. If you
wish, keep only a few on the tree, removing the others before they fully ripen. They grow tight to the branch, and
removal of ripe fruit can cause damage to the flowering spurs.
Prune current years growth to two buds immediately after flowering. Allow to grow through summer, cutting back
hard to two or three buds again in late summer, early fall, when the new growth begins to harden off and change
to brown colour. Those buds will develop into flowering spurs over the next couple of years.
Flowering Quince regularly and frequently throw up suckers. Do not allow too many to grow, as they will drain
too much energy from the main plant. Remove unwanted suckers, pruning back others hard to encourage
interesting shapes and flowering. The constant removal of suckers induces an interesting root surface, which can be
exposed by planting the tree higher in the pot than one normally might.
Propagation: Suckers. Semi-ripe cuttings in midsummer. Layering in autumn. Sow seeds outdoors in autumn.
Styles and Forms: Twin trunk, three trunk, clump, exposed root, cascade, semi-cascade, raft. Growth is too
irregular and twisting for upright or broom styles.
Species and Cultivars: C. speciosa - Common Flowering Quince. Very vigorous.
C. "Contorta" - twisted stems and foliage, white, red or salmon blossoms.
C. "Nivalis" - White blossoms
C. "Texas Scarlet" - Short habit, red blooms
C. "Toyo Nishiki" - Cultivar with white, pink and red blossoms all on the same plant.
C. japonica - Japanese Flowering Quince. Popular bonsai subject. Less virorous than C.speciosa. Pink, red and orange
flowers.
C. "Chojuba" - Dwarf variety, comes in red and light yellow (Chojuba White) flowers.
C. sinensis - Chinese Quince. Now correctly classified as Pseudocydonia sinensis, a single species Genus. Very
similar to Chaenomeles, with a slightly more tree-like habit.
Other Information:
Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles)