Oriental Pleasures - Japanese Garden Plants – Japonica Chaenomeles

Name – Native to China and Japan these plants are confusingly named simply Chaenomeles, and Japanese quinces and japonica!

Description – The simple, five-petalled blooms look something like oversized apple blossom, but are much longer-lasting. They often decorate the plant from February until early summer. Although quinces flower over a long period, the main flush of bloom usually occurs very early in the year when a profusion of flower buds appear in clusters along the twiggy stems. Colour ranges include pure white, apricot pink and deep scarlet, depending on the variety. The main value of the plants is that the flowers appear on bare stems, just prior to the emerging new leaves. The flowers will then set fragrant, pear-shaped fruits that are good for jellies and syrups and high in vitamin C.

Origin – Use to a location on fairly windy oriental hillsides, the japonica family looks fragile, especially when the flowers appear while frost is still on the ground, but this delicate appearance hides the constitution of a truck! Quinces will grow in most positions and soils, except a truly excessively limey soil, which causes the leaves to become yellow. Some quinces will need no pruning in order to keep them to their allotted space but others get a little straggly and should be pruned immediately after flowering. All shoots that have flowered can be shortened back to strong buds or near their base and one fifth of the old stems should in any case be removed from plants that are four or more years old, to encourage replacement shoots. C. japonica and other compact forms can also be used for low, informal hedges which should be kept to around three feet tall, and they only require clipping once a year to keep them in shape.

For Decoration - Flowering branches make attractive indoor bouquets.

Japanese japonica quince photograph by tanakawho, used under a creative commons attribution

 

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