Chaenomeles Species, Flowering Quince, Japanese Quince, Maule's Quince

I have this ornamental shrub in my yard and it is original to our house, so this makes it around 102 years old. Two sides of the house a...Read Morere surrounded by these quince; it's like having a fortress of thorns. While directions always say to hand prune the shrub I have been cutting them with clippers for years and have never had difficulties with spring blooms. My shrubs have become very dense, supply large fruits and have beautiful blooms come spring.

There are many named cultivars of flowering quince which do not come true from seed. The unimproved species can be readily increased by ...Read Moreseed, if necessary. This shrub roots so readily from almost any means that an almost unlimited number of new plants can be obtained in a few weeks.

Pruning should be kept to a minimum as it forms buds immediately after flowering for the following year. If necessary, remove branches rather than by shearing. Grown close together, this forms a very dense thorny privacy hedge.