Best Japanese Quince for fruit?

My garden's too small for a quince tree and I can't have a tree on the allotment, but I'd love to make some quince jelly.

At Malvern on Saturday I found out I can use the fruit from Chaenomeles (Japanese Quince) instead, but I have no idea which cultivar is the best one to use. I'm planning on growing them in a hedge so that I get enough fruit to make my jelly.

Ideas anyone?

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Permalink Reply by Dave Mercer on October 8, 2010 at 0:49

I work in a walled garden one day a week that is in the process of being reclaimed after 23 years of total neglect. It has two Chaenomeles growing against the East wall and both are pretty unruly at the moment. However, although I do not know which cultivar is which, one has red flowers and one has white, and from this and last years performance I have to say that the white flowered variety outperformed the red flowered variety as far as producing fruit goes. Be warned though, it takes an awful lot of these fruits to make a decent amount of jelly (but is delicious!) I am currently trying to persuade the owners daughter that she should buy her mum a proper Quince tree for her Christmas!

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Permalink Reply by VP on October 8, 2010 at 8:46

Hi Dave - that sounds a wonderful place!

I'm planning to grow a hedge of them. My local garden centre has a half price plant offer at the moment, so I bought C 'Chrimson and Gold' yesterday complete with fruit!

Oh how I'd love a proper quince tree...

Dave Mercer said:

I work in a walled garden one day a week that is in the process of being reclaimed after 23 years of total neglect. It has two Chaenomeles growing against the East wall and both are pretty unruly at the moment. However, although I do not know which cultivar is which, one has red flowers and one has white, and from this and last years performance I have to say that the white flowered variety outperformed the red flowered variety as far as producing fruit goes. Be warned though, it takes an awful lot of these fruits to make a decent amount of jelly (but is delicious!) I am currently trying to persuade the owners daughter that she should buy her mum a proper Quince tree for her Christmas!