Plant of the week: Flowering quince 'Crimson and gold' | Life and style
Plant of the weekLife and style This article is more than 11 years oldPlant of the week: Flowering quince 'Crimson and gold'
This article is more than 11 years oldStunning, bright red spring blossom followed by gourmet fruitWhat is it? You want stunning, bright red spring blossom followed by gourmet fruit, without the hassle of time-consuming pruning or a big tree in the garden? This shrub (Latin name chaenomeles, not to be confused with the quince tree, Cydonia oblonga) is what you need. 'Crimson and Gold' blooms from March to May, then fruits in late September, but it needs only light pruning and puts up with most soils.
Plant it with? It flowers at the same moment as most of the spring bulbs: daffodils will pick up the gold of the quince flower's centres, then follow on with a green and white tulip such as 'Spring Green'.
And where? It's ideal trained against a wall or can form a low hedge up to 1m tall: a spot in the sun's ideal but it can live with partial shade.
Any drawbacks? Japanese quince can sprawl rather, but 'Crimson and Gold' is better behaved and more compact than most.
What else does it do? The heavy crop of hard, perfumed yellow fruits ripen are fabulous made into lemonade or jelly, or added to apple pies for an extra zing.
Buy it Get one potted plant for £10.99, or two plants for £14.99. All orders include free p&p. To order, call 0330 333 6856 quoting ref GUA633. Or visit our Reader Offers page. Supplied as 9cm potted plant. Delivery from April.
Explore more on these topicsShareReuse this contentncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoKyaqpSerq96wqikaKSZm7KiusOsq7KklWR%2FcX2RaKSaql9ngHC8y5qlrWWfm3q4scSkZJ%2Bkn6yys7XNoGSqrZmjsKZ5wqugpqufo3qou8ud