I spoke of my three quince shrubs in Friday's post but only posted pictures of the two red quince. I thought today's post would spotlight a white quince. Once upon a time I didn't even know what a quince was let alone that they come in a variety of colors including white. Then one year while visiting the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show I found a vendor who had several pots of white flowering quince called 'Jet Trail' (Chaenomeles speciosa 'Jet Trail'). Quince blooms right around the time of the Lawn and Garden Show so this small shrub that was in full bloom was a big hit with customers--including me. Jet Trail has now graced my garden for about four years and is doing well.
I find that this quince is a much smaller quince than the two red flowering quince I showed you on Friday. Dirr's Manual of Woody Landscape Plants says Jet Trail is a sport of 'Texas Scarlet' (a cultivar I also grow) and that Jet Trail grows to three feet and is a spreading shrub. I have my Jet Trail planted along a rear boundary fence and I'll attest to its small but spreading stature. The location I grow my Jet Trail in is an area under trees but the shrub does get afternoon sun--perhaps 3-6 hours a day. The soil is very poor and the conditions rather dry. I have not had to prune or water Jet Trail at all. It is a nice addition to my rather wild garden and is located in an out of the way area so I am not bothered by its thorns. I always think that no matter how pretty quince are in the spring the thorns are a major drawback for me. Do you all feel that way too? Someday I'll probably remove my quince due to all the thorns. The roses might also go away if they keep clawing me when I give them their annual haircut--which is right now. Nonetheless I keep this white flowering quince....
in the garden....
Those of you who are of a certain age (over 30 or so) will remember Whitney Houston. The world lost her this weekend all too soon. She was only 48 when she passed. Her voice was, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest of all time and her songs and movies, especially The Bodyguard, will forever be remembered as will she. Here is one of my ALL TIME favorite songs. Enjoy.
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden
I love the white quince. I have never seen that one before. Carla
ReplyDeleteI don't know the Quince. It got frightfully cold the last two nights and I saw this morning my heater in the greenhouse was tripped....the plants don't look so good.....I loved Whitney too.
ReplyDeleteI love the buds of your white quince. The nice round ones remind me of a small peony bud.
ReplyDeleteWhitney Houston sure did have an amazing voice but did is the operative word. All the drugs she had taken had caught up with her and her voice ha been destroyed. It is a shame to the point of it being a crime. After trying that, I guess it is an oxy-moron as all the drugs she used was a crime. I do not think any one person has EVER, EVER sung the Star Spangled Banner the way she did. If it did not make your heart swell with pride and tears come to your eyers there is something wrong. Too bad.
Whitney Houston had such a fabulous voice, Jennifer Hudson sang her song last night, good but not even close to Whitney's. Tragic loss.
ReplyDeleteI like Quince, the thorns are of no issue to me, I just plant them where we don't walk. I figure they can get their full size and I don't have to worry about any pruning.
I have never seen a white quince. Very pretty! I have been noticing all the quince blooming around town, but not mine - yet. And yes, I do wish they didn't have those nasty thorns. Pyracantha is another bush with thorns that I wish didn't have them.
ReplyDeleteShe is a legend isn't it, a beautiful and powerful voice that people always will remember. The first time we knew quince is here in Australis just a few backs ago. Last year was the first time we tasted quince jelly. But this is the first time we actually seen its flower.
ReplyDeleteSo sad to lose a voice from God...I have never seen the white quince...lovely!!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that Quince came in white. I've only seen the red ones. That cold spat we had has ruined the blooms here. I don't like thorns as they attack me if I get around them. Had to remove a beautiful rose due to that fact. It had grown 4 lengths of a chain link fence. I never did find out just what kind it was. Looked like the old time 7 sisters.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful juxtaposition between your post, the photos of the flowers and Whitney (a flower herself) at the end. Thank you very much. That was touching.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
I have been thinking about this quince for a while. You said 3' tall but how wide do you think it will get? Are any of your quince in a lot of shade?
ReplyDeleteHi Carolyn, All of my quince are in a lot of shade. Nothing here gets more than 4-5 hours of sun and that is only during high summer when the sun is directly overhead. One day I am going to post a satellite image which will show the almost 100% tree canopy. I love the shade but it can be challenging to grow sun lovers. This quince is only about 3 feet wide and probably just about 2.5 tall. It gets only late afternoon sun. I am sure it would be a bit bigger if given full sun but it does well with no trouble. All three of the quince do fine with very few hours of sun. I really like the quince for their shade tolerance and early blooms. The thorns though, they are another matter.
ReplyDeleteI don't know of that flower, but your photo is so sharp and crisp, love it. However, Whitney doesn't want to let me see her, she is already buried deep now she hides from me!
ReplyDeleteI do not like things that bite back in my garden. Thorns are not my friend although; I added my first rose bush last year....
ReplyDeleteSuch a tragic loss of a beautiful voice....