Look ahead to spring with Chaenomeles

Great for wildlife and with long-lasting early blossom – plus a crop of tasty, nutritious fruit – flowering quince is a shrub with plenty to offer, says Louise Curley

- Louise Curley

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. cathayensis, C. japonica and C. speciosa, from which garden-worthy 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.

Cup-shaped, the flowers resemble the blossom of apples and cherries, but their floriferous displays last longer (up to eight weeks) and they’re much more weather-resistant. They can be damaged by frost, however, so are best planted in a sheltered, south- or west-facing spot. In late spring, the fresh, green, glossy leaves emerge, and over summer small, greeny-yellow, pear-like fruit form.

Fantastic for a wildlife garden, the early flowers of chaenomeles are a good source of pollen and nectar for bees emerging after a long winter, while the thicket of thorny stems creates a safe spot for garden birds to nest and roost.