Chaenomeles

( kee - NOM - el - eez )

At-A-Glance Information

Also referred to as Flowering Quince, this group of deciduous shrubs requires full sun and moderate to regular water. Hummingbirds will frequent this shrub in your yard. These will probably bloom first in the season, so they are a very good choice to fill your yard with color early in the spring. Chaenomeles is used as a bonsai specimen, and are also great as cut flowers, blooming in water for weeks.

​Colors vary from white to pink, to orange and red. Leaves are red-tinged when they are young, and mature to a shiny green. Most varieties have thorns, so if this is something you'd like to avoid, research your species before planting. All are easy to grow, and will tolerate extremes in hot and cold and all kinds of soil. ​The best zones to grow Flowering Quince are 2-23 (To find your zone, click here: Zone Map).
The genus Chaenomeles includes four distinct species, and numerous varietals. It is included in the family Rosaceae, and are related to Quince and Chinese Quince. Most varieties grown in the West are ornamental and do not produce fruit. They are great when used as foundation or barrier plantings, as their thorns will keep unwanted visitors away.

Caring for and pruning chaenomeles shrubs

Flowering Quince is easy to grow in well-draining soils with acidic to neutral pH, and can adapt to a variety of soil conditions including dry soil and clay soil. They are drought tolerant once established, and produce the best flowers in full sun exposure, though they can take some dappled shade if necessary. Water young plants more frequently (about an inch per week is sufficient). Mulch around the bottom of these shrubs to increase soil water retention and to discourage weeds. These shrubs bloom on old growth, so only prune to shape as required, and make your cuts after flowers have faded for the season. These shrubs gradually spread through suckering, so if you'd like to control their spread, the suckers should be removed when they pop up. In early springtime before new growth has had a chance to emerge, fertilize with an all purpose fertilizer and water generously afterwards. Avoid getting fertilizer on the foliage, as it can damage leaves.

Propagation

Chaenomeles can be propagated either by using semi-hardwood cuttings or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the cutting method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your Flowering Quince, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Chaenomeles by Cutting
  1. Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand.
  2. In late summer or early fall, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Cut one or more 6 inch portion(s) of the end of a branch of the previous year's growth. It should be partially green, partially woody. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Score the bottom of the cutting, making cuts in the hardwood, and dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone. Plant it in your hole, and fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
  3. Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. Your pot should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight). Water whenever your soil is dry under the top layer. After about four to six weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When you notice new growth, you'll know you have roots.
  4. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, for another month, when you can transplant it to its new home.

Propagating Chaenomeles by Seed
  1. Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows.
  2. Harvest your seeds. Flowering Quince seeds are contained inside the fruiting bodies produced by the shrub. Once these fruits have yellowed and softened, they can be picked, cut open, and their seeds can be removed.
  3. Seeds need to be cold-stratified before they can be planted. We can mimic the process by storing them in a cold refrigerator for between 60 and 90 days. After this process, they can be sown in soil.
  4. Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Germination usually takes 1-4 months from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
  5. Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.
Flowering Quince Seeds look a bit like Apple seeds.
Chaenomeles seeds are contained within fruiting bodies.

Problems and Pests

  • Scale
  • Aphids
  • Spider Mites
  • Fireblight
  • Scab
For information on how to treat and eradicate these issues, see the following links:
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Gallery

Flowering Quince can be espaliered.
Chaenomeles flowers are some of the first to appear, blooming in late winter or early springtime.
Flowering Quince can make an amazing, colorful bonsai specimen.

Videos

A Chaenomeles grown from bare root.
Flowering Quince shrub care and pruning.

Resources

Germinating Quince Seeds
Chaenomeles japonica (Japanese Quince)
How to Grow and Care for Flowering Quince
Wikipedia: Chaenomeles
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Page 234, Chaenomeles
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