 |
Chaenomeles 'Toyo Nishiki' |
 |
| Common name |
flowering quince |
| Family |
rosaceae |
| Life cycle |
shrub |
| Flowers |
cream and rose (early spring) |
| Light |
sun-part shade |
| Seed ripens | mid-October |
We got this originally by mail order from Forest Farm, and since then it's been moved twice, and browsed by rabbits a good number of times. Still, it's going strong, and has bloomed for us every year. Now, it's hopefully in its final position, nestled in a corner of the side garden, where we can admire the blossoms up close. Over the past few years, it has grown to a sizable shrub, with the typical angular branch patterns of the apple clan.
We also have a flowering quince growing on the berm in the back of our yard. Its flowers are a striking red; I don't recall how or when we acquired it.
In all, these flowering quinces are among our favorite flowering bushes of early spring.
|
| | buds on the berm specimen... |
| 
| | ...which when opened look their best in late-afternoon sun |
|
| | Fruit from 'Toyo Nishiki'. It smells lovely, but doesn't taste so good |
|
We left this plant behind in our Pennsylvania garden (and wish it well); we don't grow it in Houston. One or more images of this plant are included in my stock photo catalog About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Chaenomeles 'Toyo Nishiki'
Visitors to this page have left the following comments| jkalenkiewicz | Apr 11, 2005 | Have you ever gotten fruit off your toyo nishiki flowering quince? I'm having a heck of a time trying to find out if this plant is self fertile or not. Thanks
No, I've never seen fruit. I'm growing cydonia oblonga as well, which is the edible quince, but those are too small to even flower. |
| bonnie | Sep 04, 2005 | I have fruit on my Toyo quince. the plant is 3 or 4 years old and on the NW corner of my house. I'm not sure how to tell when the fruit is ripe though. Do you prune your quince? The note card with it said it didn't need much pruning but I have stems that are crossing.
I didn't realize the fruit on ornamental quinces was edible. I haven't noticed fruit on mine. So far, I've not had to prune, but I guess I will if it becomes a tangle - in which case I'd probably use the same general strategy as when pruning apple or pear trees. |
| Mike | May 06, 2008 | Hello, I think I have just one of these and it never blooms though, someone told me I need a second one? I am ignorant when it comes to this sort of stuff. I don't care about fruit but the plant is healthy (although mostly in the shade). Thanks for reply.
Mike in Southern Oregon
I guess our plants are cousins - mine came from Oregon (mail order from Forest Farm). You certainly don't need a second plant to get blooms; a nearby quince might improve fruit set, for what it's worth. More likely, your problem is a lack of direct sun. |
| halfamoc | Jun 23, 2008 | I recently planted two of these bushes. one is doing well but the other has leaves that are turning brown. any idea what may be causing this? |
| Leisa | Jul 30, 2008 | I want to plant some of these in front of a retaining wall on a lake in full sun. Will they do okay? also, how much of a spread do these plants have please?
Much will depend on your garden's climate. The ultimate size will depend on the cultivar - our Toyo Nishiki grows about 5 foot tall, and would grow at least as wide if we let it (but we prune it back). |
| Michele | Mar 07, 2010 | I have one of these in my side yard, full sun. You will think I'm crazy but it blooms im the winter. I live in South GA. I just snowed a month ago and it was blooming! I have a pic of it actually. Mine has had a fruit or two, thought I was seeing things. I didnt try to taste it or smell it......one of my daughters picked it and used it as a baseball :( |
| Liz | May 19, 2011 | The fruit on the shrub is indeed "edible." However, there is so little flesh that what I do is cut the (very hard) fruit in half, scoop out the seeds, then boil the flesh off the skins and strain the skins out. What's left is a mush that you can then add sugar to, and maybe a little vanilla, and boil further till it gels. It gels quickly because it is full of pectin, and makes a WONDERFUL jam, which you can eat like any jam or use in sauces or desserts. I love the smell and the flavor. It's quite tart. |
| Liz | May 19, 2011 | ps if you don't want to go to the bother of making jam, just wait till the fruit is yellow, then pick them and bring them inside. They will perfume your whole house. Lovely smell. |
| Heidi Harrigan | May 24, 2011 | For anyone who has had fruit on their Toyo - did you have just one bush or two?
Quince was a fruit well known in medieval times. It's not good raw, but very nice stewed or as jam - cooking makes all the difference.
I have just one Toyo Nishiki, but have a few other Chaenomeles on the property. I get a few quince fruits every year. |
| bfbooks@farnsworthbooks.com | Jul 12, 2014 | I have just one Toyo-Nishiki, planted four years ago in full sun in zone 5. Never pruned. Right now it's about 6 feet tall and wide, and has dozens of fruits on it(mid-July), still green, rock hard and fuzzy-skinned. It has flowered every year, but this is the first year it produced fruit, which I will let grow on, hoping for a good crop for quince jelly -- quince are not meant to be eaten raw -- at least not by humans.
Good luck - but remember, these are ornamental quinces, which are an entirely different species from the common edible quince. |
| Kurt | Jan 27, 2015 | You can use the fruit for making liqueur like they do in Japan. It's called karinshu and basically it's just the sliced up fruit with sugar an enough vodka to cover it. See the kyotofoodie site for instructions. |
| Juliet Jones | Mar 22, 2015 | I have made jelly (like jam, but strained through cheesecloth) from my Toyo Nishiki. It is delicious. It turns a gorgeous glowing red color. |
| Veronica | Jun 13, 2015 | This is my first attempt at a quince. I read that they are subject to fungal and other problems. Do you spray your plant?
Not at all. I've not had any significant problems. Does the information you read pertain to flowering quince (Chaenomeles), or to culinary quince (Cydonia)? |
- Seed from '07 garden, collected from a 'Toyo Nishiki' fruit. Baggy 35F (8w) - 70F (90%G, 3-10d)
Fast-growing seedlings.
I welcome comments about my web pages; feel free to use the form below to
leave feedback about this particular page. For the benefit of other visitors
to these pages, I will list any relevant comments you leave, and if
appropriate, I will update my page to correct mis-information. Faced with an
ever-increasing onslaught of spam, I'm forced to discard any comments including
html markups. Please submit your comment as plain text. If you have a
comment about the website as a whole, please leave it in my
guestbook. If you
have a question that needs a personal response, please
e-mail me.
|
