Looking for opportunities to add fruiting plants to your landscape? Delicious, prolific Champion Common Quince (Cydonia oblonga 'Champion') is a very reliable producer of large, pear-shaped fruit with light green skin in the mid-season.If you love to cook, grow Quince Champion to make beautiful jellies and jams that cook to a pale pink. Drizzle quince syrup over ice cream; or make quince wine for a signature cocktail.Cydonia oblonga, commonly known as common quince, is a deciduous, multi-stemmed small tree or large shrub that features crooked branches clad with broad-ovate to broad-elliptic pale green leaves (to 4" long) that are gray-hairy below. Common quince is primarily grown today for fruit production or as a dwarfing pear rootstock. It is native to rocky slopes and woodland margins in the Trans-Caucasus region which includes Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, southwestern Russia and Turkmenistan. Plants have escaped garden plantings in the U. S. (particularly in the northeast), but plants are generally not considered to be invasive. Commercial production in the U. S. is very limited (mostly in California and New York). Count: 5
USDA Zone: 5 to 10Common quince typically grows to 10-15' (less frequently to 20') tall. Solitary, five-petaled, pale pink to white flowers (2 1/2" diameter) bloom from leaf axils in late spring (May) on current season's growth. Immature fruits (round to pear shaped quinces to 3" diameter) are green with gray-white shading but mature in fall to bright yellow. Fruit on cultivated varieties is usually larger. In climates with warm winters, quinces will fully ripen on the tree/shrub and can be enjoyed fresh-picked. However, in many areas where grown in the U. S., quince fruits are still very astringent in October when they first begin to ripen, hence they are usually cooked rather than consumed fresh. Quinces may be used in jellies, preserves and pies.Scarification: Soak in water, let stand in water for 12 hours. Stratification: warm stratify for 2 weeks, cold stratify for 120 days. Germination: Sow seed 1/4 inch deep, tamp the soil, and mulch the seed bed.Planting and Application: This is a self-pollinating cultivar, so you'll get plenty of pectin-rich fruit from one plant. However, yields per Champion Quince will be greater with two or more plants.Fragrant pink flowers age to white for a pretty springtime show. The oblong fruit starts off firm, and is cooked to bring out the full complement of spicy flavors...including notes of apple, pear and a zest that is all it's own. With a moderately trailing growth habit, this rounded deciduous shrub can be used in many ways in the landscape. It's a top contender for a naturalized permaculture planting with pliable branches that can be woven into an old-fashioned hedgerow. Prune flat to a sturdy trellis in an espalier, and you'll gain a beautiful garden feature with an easier harvest. Get how-to's and pro tips at the NatureHIlls.com Garden Blog. You can also train Champion Common Quince as a stand-alone shrub or tree. Keep them pruned for easy harvest using summer pruning for size control. Champion Quince bushes should be grown away from other pome fruits, like Apple and Pear for the best garden hygiene. Give Quince space to develop their sweet, savory fall fruit for a delightful taste treat.#ProPlantTips for Care: Choose a planting site in full sun with well-drained soil and good air circulation. Water fruiting plants on a consistent schedule through fruit development. Touch the soil near the base of your Champion Quince tree and apply water when it starts to get dry. For the first several years, you'll be working to establish the structure branches to provide a framework for the fruiting spurs. Prune with a vase-shaped open center or start training your espalier in late winter as your Quince is dormant. Add a three-inch layer of mulch around the trunk, then pull it back away from touching the stems. Fertilize with good quality fruiting tree formula in early spring...and reapply according to the label directions.
USDA Zone: 5 to 10Common quince typically grows to 10-15' (less frequently to 20') tall. Solitary, five-petaled, pale pink to white flowers (2 1/2" diameter) bloom from leaf axils in late spring (May) on current season's growth. Immature fruits (round to pear shaped quinces to 3" diameter) are green with gray-white shading but mature in fall to bright yellow. Fruit on cultivated varieties is usually larger. In climates with warm winters, quinces will fully ripen on the tree/shrub and can be enjoyed fresh-picked. However, in many areas where grown in the U. S., quince fruits are still very astringent in October when they first begin to ripen, hence they are usually cooked rather than consumed fresh. Quinces may be used in jellies, preserves and pies.Scarification: Soak in water, let stand in water for 12 hours. Stratification: warm stratify for 2 weeks, cold stratify for 120 days. Germination: Sow seed 1/4 inch deep, tamp the soil, and mulch the seed bed.Planting and Application: This is a self-pollinating cultivar, so you'll get plenty of pectin-rich fruit from one plant. However, yields per Champion Quince will be greater with two or more plants.Fragrant pink flowers age to white for a pretty springtime show. The oblong fruit starts off firm, and is cooked to bring out the full complement of spicy flavors...including notes of apple, pear and a zest that is all it's own. With a moderately trailing growth habit, this rounded deciduous shrub can be used in many ways in the landscape. It's a top contender for a naturalized permaculture planting with pliable branches that can be woven into an old-fashioned hedgerow. Prune flat to a sturdy trellis in an espalier, and you'll gain a beautiful garden feature with an easier harvest. Get how-to's and pro tips at the NatureHIlls.com Garden Blog. You can also train Champion Common Quince as a stand-alone shrub or tree. Keep them pruned for easy harvest using summer pruning for size control. Champion Quince bushes should be grown away from other pome fruits, like Apple and Pear for the best garden hygiene. Give Quince space to develop their sweet, savory fall fruit for a delightful taste treat.#ProPlantTips for Care: Choose a planting site in full sun with well-drained soil and good air circulation. Water fruiting plants on a consistent schedule through fruit development. Touch the soil near the base of your Champion Quince tree and apply water when it starts to get dry. For the first several years, you'll be working to establish the structure branches to provide a framework for the fruiting spurs. Prune with a vase-shaped open center or start training your espalier in late winter as your Quince is dormant. Add a three-inch layer of mulch around the trunk, then pull it back away from touching the stems. Fertilize with good quality fruiting tree formula in early spring...and reapply according to the label directions.