Japanese Quince

Japanese Quince 'Nivalis' (Chaenomeles speciosa 'Nivalis') gives you pure white blossom on bare wood in late winter, weeks before anything else in a cool climate garden wakes up. It grows to about 2m tall and 2m wide, tolerates poor soil and drought, and sets small aromatic fruit that makes excellent jelly once cooked. The stems carry thorns, which makes it a genuine barrier as well as a flowering shrub.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers when nothing else does. Clusters of white blossom open on leafless stems in late winter and early spring, on a shrub that asks almost nothing in return.
• Fruit worth using. The small yellow green quinces are inedible raw but high in pectin, so they cook down into a fragrant jelly or paste.
• It grows in difficult ground. Poor soil tolerant, drought tolerant and frost hardy, so it copes with sites that defeat fussier flowering shrubs.
• A thorny hedge that earns its keep. Planted in a row it becomes an informal barrier animals and people go around, with blossom in late winter and fruit in autumn.

Where it works best

Informal hedging and boundaries. Plant 1m apart in a single row for a dense deciduous hedge around 2m high. The thorns make it a serious deterrent along a back fence, so keep it well away from paths, gates and anywhere children brush past.

Feature and border planting. A single plant against a dark wall shows the white blossom at its best, and the bare branching structure is worth looking at through winter. At the back of a border it reads as a quiet green shrub in summer, then does its work in the cold months.

Growing Japanese Quince in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering; part shade gives fewer blooms but tidier foliage. It needs genuine winter cold to flower well, which makes it a cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean plant. Southern gardens, the tablelands and inland districts suit it; subtropical and tropical gardens never deliver the chill it wants.

Soil. Almost anything with drainage. It performs on poor, stony and alkaline ground where other shrubs sulk, though it will not accept permanently wet feet.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first two summers, then it manages on rainfall in most cool climate gardens. A single application of complete fertiliser in early spring is enough. Overfeeding gives leafy growth and fewer flowers.

Pruning. Prune immediately after flowering, before new growth extends. Remove crossing and crowded stems to open the centre, and shorten long shoots. Wear thick gloves.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown as tube stock. Each plant is young, usually a single thin stem 15cm to 25cm tall, and it may arrive leafless in its dormant months, which is normal for a deciduous shrub rather than a dead plant. Expect flowering size in year two or three and full 2m spread by year four or five.

Tube stock travels well and establishes quickly because the root system is young and active. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Water in well, mulch clear of the stem, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the wider deciduous shrub range.
• Read our guide to designing an Australian cottage garden.
• Find companions in plants for cool climates.
• See other edible plants for the home garden.

Common questions

Can I eat the fruit straight from the bush?

No. Raw quinces are hard, sour and astringent. Cooked with sugar they make a fragrant jelly or paste, and their natural pectin means the set comes easily without additives.

Will it flower in a warm climate?

Only poorly. It needs winter chill to flower properly, so it belongs in cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens. Subtropical gardeners should choose a different flowering shrub.

How far apart for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row gives a dense informal hedge in three to four seasons. Given the thorns, set the row at least half a metre back from any path or gate.