Quince Shrubs

The Quince shrubs that Nature Hills offers are of the ornamental variety. The Quince is also known as a tree, native to Europe, which produces edible fruit. The ornamental quince shrubs, native to China, Japan, and Korea, do produce some fruit but the production is unreliable, small, and is used in jams and jellies. The apple shaped fruit is very sour and is sometimes used to give flavor to stewed or baked apples. The ornamental quince flowers early in the spring and somewhat like the redbud, flowers before the leaves appear. The ornamental flowering quinces (genus Chaenomeles) are cultivated for their profuse and thorny branches and their attractive flowers. They look very attractive in landscapes because of their early bloom period and unique branching patterns.

Quince is a very adaptable shrub. It will do well in a wide range of soils including dry areas. Flowering quince will produce more flowers if it is full sun, but it will grow nicely in partial shade also. Quince shrubs are very disease tolerant and are long lived. Some quince shrubs that were planted in pioneer times are still alive and producing flowers each spring. They are pollution tolerant and do well in city gardens. Nature Hills offers several quince varieties and they are displayed below.