Flowering quince

Chaenomeles speciosa. Chinese flowering quince, this spiny shrub grows to 3-9 feet tall, and produces a profusion of bright flowers in the spring and an abundance of small, hard fruit in the fall. Plant in a grouping to maximize the colour effect. The fruit are too hard and astringent to be consumed as-is, but make fantastic liqueurs, marmalade, jams, and jellies, whether on their own or as a flavouring and pectin boost for apple-based preserves. The plants are seedlings and plant characteristics, including flower colour, will vary between individual plants; the pictures show flowers of some of the parent trees.