Look ahead to spring with Chaenomeles
IT’S easy to rely on bulbs to bring spring cheer to a garden, but early-flowering shrubs can add another layer of interest, and one of the best has to be chaenomeles. Members of the rose family, all quince trees produce flowers, however chaenomeles has become known as the flowering quince because it’s grown primarily for its attractive spring blossom, whereas Cydonia oblonga, the quince, and Pseudocydonia sinensis, the Chinese quince, both produce larger fruit that are used in cooking and prized for their medicinal properties.
Vigorous growers
Chaenomeles are native to the mountainous woodlands of eastern Asia; they include the species . , C. and C. , from which gardenworthy varieties have been bred. Most are vigorous shrubs that are wider than they are tall, with a mass of tangled, spiny branches. They’re deciduous, and their flowers make an eye-catching sight when they unfurl on bare branches, often appearing as early as the end of February.
