Dwarf Quince (Chaenomeles x superba)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −28.9 °C
Cultivation
Easily cultivated in any reasonably good soil. Plants are hardy to about -25°c. A very ornamental plant, there are many named varieties. A good bee plant, flowering early in the year and providing pollen and nectar. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sheltered position outdoors or in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. If well grown, these seedling can be large enough to plant out in the summer, but give them some protection in their first winter. Otherwise plant them out in late spring of the following year[K]. This species is a hybrid and so will not breed true from seed. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, November in a cold frame. Layering in late spring or in autumn. This is a sure and easy method, though it takes 12 months.
Edible uses
Fruit - very harsh and acid raw but fragrant when cooked. Used for jams, jellies etc and as a flavouring with cooked apples[K]. The fruit can be apple or pear-shaped and up to 6cm long x 6cm wide.
Material uses
Plants can be grown to make a medium sized hedge. Some cultivars, such as 'Crimson and Gold' produce suckers prolifically and are suitable for ground cover.
Habitat
Not known in the wild.
Native range
A hybrid of garden origin, C. japonica x C. speciosa.