Flowering quince (Chaenomeles, rosaceae) 

Winterthur, Delaware:  legacy of Henry Francis du Pont, 1880-1969, American

 

Flowering quince begin to bloom in very late March; the flowers continue for a month

 

 

 

The bushes grow on either side of shallow steps leading to a circular garden with a sundial in its center.

 

 

 

 

These bushes bear flowers: white and pale oranges, salmon, pinks and deep red.

 

 

 

White spirea and yellow forsythia  flower at the same time as flowering quince

 

 

The bushes are like vases filled with flowers.  Mature bushes form arches and oases of cool dark.

 

 

 

 

 

Dense thickets bear the serious thorns of some members of their rose family.

 

No discernable fragrance.  A mass of  colours in the warming Spring. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In September, the bushes are throttled with quince, protected by the bush’s long thorns