Mock or ornamental quinces are available in different variations. They differ in the height of the bush, the color of the flowers and the size of the fruits. A small selection of well-known ornamental quince varieties.
What varieties of ornamental quinces are there?
Popular ornamental quince varieties are the Japanese and Chinese ornamental quince as well as “Nivalis”, “Chaenomeles speciosa”, “Pink Lady”, “Jet Trail”, “Orange Star”, “Souvenir of Carl Ramcke” and the thornless variety “Cido” from Latvia with tasty fruits.
The two main varieties
The two main varieties that are grown in German gardens are Japanese quince and Chinese quince. Both varieties can also be grown as espalier plants.
The Chinese quince can reach a height of up to five meters in favorable locations. It is therefore particularly suitable as a hedge plant. Its compact structure makes it an excellent privacy screen. The variety can be recognized by its taller growth and slightly lighter leaves. The flowers of most varieties are a strong shade of red.
The Japanese ornamental quince only grows up to 1.20 meters high. It looks particularly decorative when kept alone as an ornamental shrub. The dark green leaves look leathery and only appear after flowering. Most varieties have brick-red flowers.
Some well-known mock quince varieties
“Nivalis” – white flowers, grows over three meters high
“Chaenomeles speciosa” – red flowers, grows very tall
“Pink Lady” – dark pink flowers
“Jet Trail” – white flowers, low variety
“Orange Star” – orange flowers, medium height
“Souvenir of Carl Ramcke” – pink flowers, medium height“Chaenomeles Friesdorfer Type 205 “– light red flowers, stays low
The thornless variety “Cido”
Almost all ornamental quince varieties have thorns. An exception is the “Nordic lemon”, a mock quince that originally comes from Latvia. It is offered under the variety name “Cido”.
Its decorative flowers are orange and it produces quite large quince fruits. The fruits of “Cido” are among the tastiest ornamental quinces ever.
If you want to grow ornamental quinces also because you want to use the fruit, this variety is best suited.
Mock quinces are self-pollinating
Ornamental quinces are self-pollinating. So you don't necessarily need to plant several varieties in the garden.
However, for decorative reasons it is worth planting different varieties. The plants can be propagated by cuttings that are cut in early summer.
Tips & Tricks
In natural gardens, it is a good idea to plant quinces as a hedge together with other fruit bushes such as blackthorn, hawthorn, sour thorn and sea buckthorn. This will give you a wild fruit hedge from which you can harvest many different fruits.
