Chaenomeles cathayensis Chinese Flowering Quince
10 seeds per packet.
A rarely offered, upright, deciduous shrub, or small tree, native to China. The refined pink and white flowers hanging from bare, thorny stems before the leaves appear are really something special in spring - these are followed by edible, hard, apple sized, yellow-green fruits in the autumn that can be cooked into deliciously zingy lemon tasting jellies or jams. The fruits are hard when raw but deliciously fragrant when cooked. Height up to 3 metres if left unpruned. Moisture retentive, well-drained soil in sun to part shade.
GROWING INSTRUCTIONS:
Sow upon receipt (best in autumn). Cover seed thinly, press in gently and keep top of compost from drying out. Keep pot outdoors or in cold frame over winter. Seeds germinate in spring.
Alternatively, if seeds can’t be sown in autumn use the following method: mix seeds with damp vermiculite and place inside a ziplock bag, keep bag somewhere warm for 3 weeks, then place in fridge (not freezer) for 8 weeks. Next spread mixture on top of a pot, thinly cover with compost or grit and keep warm at 15 to 20°C until germination, then move to somewhere cooler.
Carefully prick out seedlings when they have developed true leaves and are large enough to transplant to individual pots for growing on.