Japanese Quince (Chaenomeles japonica), of the family of Rosaceaeis covered with flowers a magnificent purple pink or a deep red or even a delicate white from the month of february until the end of April, and sometimes even until may. There are many cultivars, sometimes marketed under the name of flowering quince, which can reach 6 to 7 m in height, while the wild species is limited to 1.20 m. Here is everything you need to know to enhance your garden with this ornamental shrub which also produces fruits but these are eaten only cooked.
Planting a Japanese Quince (Flowering Quince)
This beautiful shrub with spectacular flowering is planted in spring or at the very beginning of autumn. It can be grown in all our regions because, very rusticit can bear -15°Cand even depending on the variety up to -25°C. Its planting proceeds as follows.
- Dig a hole a little bigger than the clod,
- Mix the terre extracted with a few shovelfuls of planting soil or of mature compost,
- Place a layer of gravel at the bottom if possible to ensure good drainage or add sable to the culture mix,
- Install the shrub in the center of the hole,
- Fill with the earth/potting mix (/sand),
- Tamp down,
- Water.
If you wish to plant several of these ornamental shrubs in beds or hedges, it is necessary to space them about 1.30 m from each other.
Growing a Japanese Quince
The Japanese Quince loves sunny exposures. He tolerates the partial shade, but it tends to flower less in this type of situation. He has not no soil requirements. It is therefore possible to grow a Japanese quince in poor, stony soil without any problem. You just have to make sure that the shrub has a growing medium. well drained.
The flowering quince can be used in shrub beds, isolated or in a hedge and can even be trellised against a south-facing wall. It combines wonderfully with Camellia, Forsythia and Laurier-tin, which flower at the same time. Be careful, some varieties of quince flowers have thorns. We therefore avoid installing them too close to a place of passage. However, they are perfect as a defensive hedge because they are able to quickly create a real rampart.
Caring for your Japanese Quince
of a great ease of cultivationcet ornamental shrub suitable for all gardeners, even beginners. It just needs a few tweaks, but nothing that requires great gardening expertise.
watering
During the first summer following its planting, the shrub must be watered every two weeks. Thereafter, do not forget to give him water in case of heat wave or drought.
Weed
It is useful toremove weeds regularly which develop all around the foot of the shrub so that the garden has a neat appearance, but also to prevent unwanted weeds from drawing the water and nutrients that the Japanese Quince needs for its growth.
Cut
Due to his rapid growththe flowering Quince can be pruned from time to time but never during the flowering period. Pruning must be light and is only useful if you want to give the shrub a very precise shape, balance its foliage, ventilate the heart of the tree by folding down the excess branches or to thicken a hedge. quince trees. However, it remains facultative. Many gardeners prefer to let their Japanese Quince grow freely, which in no way alters their charm.
Fertiliser
Every year, in spring, it is recommended to make an amendment in mature compost. In autumn, manure can be spread at the base.
Pests and diseases
Concerning the attacks of parasites, the Japanese Quince can at most be the target of aphids. It is possible to carry out an effective and environmentally friendly fight by purchasing ladybug larvae.
On the disease side,Powdery mildew, very common in the garden, can be avoided by watering sufficiently but not excessively during periods of drought. The parties affected by this fungal diseaseshould be removed and the shrub can be treated with a sulfur product.
L’Entomosporiose is another fungal disease. It can affect a Japanese Quince when the environment is both hot and humid. It is necessary to remove all the affected parts, namely the leaves and the fruits, and also eliminate the quinces which have fallen to the ground. Prevention involves treatment with Bordeaux mixture before flowering, which must be repeated once all the flowers have faded.
About the Moniliose du Cognassierit appears in case ofexcessive humidity. It causes the premature fall of flowers and the rotting of fruits. The disease is prevented by spacing the shrubs far enough apart and pruning just enough to eliminate certain branches too tight in the heart of the tree to allow air to circulate. In autumn, when the leaves have fallen, it should be treated with Bordeaux mixture.
Flowering of Japanese Quince
Cet decorative tree native to Asia is a marvel because it is covered with flowers while winter is not yet over. Glossy foliage only appears during flowering. This shrub illuminates the garden and alone creates a real spectacle. Its flowers, grouped either by 2 or by 4, come in a rich color palette (white, salmon, pink, more or less dark red), depending on the variety. You can create very beautiful bouquets with a few quince stems from Japan because the flowers hold up well.
In the month of septemberthe shrub produces fruits odorants. These are particularly astringent quinces, which makes them difficult to eat in their raw state, that is to say raw. On the other hand, it is quite possible to eat them cooked. Indeed, the cooked fruits of the Japanese quince can be used to prepare a excellent jam or a very good quince and apple jelly for example, or even gourmet fruit jellies. For this, it is imperative to pick them when they are fully ripe, between mid-September and the end of October depending on the climate.