Planning a Quince Tree

I’ve just had a large ornamental cherry tree removed from my smallish back garden. I’ve been humming and hawing over this drastic surgery for a few years now, and although it did produce a lovely display of early white blossom every spring, it has completely dominated the garden. Sapping moisture and nutrients from the soil, the tree has stopped most other plants from flourishing. So it had  to go.

Now done, I’m absolutely delighted (if a bit in shock) that there’s so much more light and space. And this is where the quince tree comes in. I want to replace the ornamental cherry tree with another tree, something more productive and that will provide some privacy, but a tree that won’t dominate the garden again.

In spring, I went to hear Joy Larkcom talk at the Chelsea Physic Garden, and was completely charmed by their fan trained quince tree. This tree completely fits the bill. The blossom in May was huge and enchanting and I loved the equally large leaves. The supports here are approximately 3m wide and the tree at the moment is maintained to about the same height too.

On a recent trip to Wisley, the fantastically knowledgeable Jim Arbury recommended Meeches Prolific as a variety that has some resistance to Quince leaf mite, and growing on Quince C rootstock (similar to the semi-dwarfing M26) should keep the tree relatively small. So that’s what I shall buy. Now is the perfect time to order my tree, so I need to get out in the garden and get supports ready before it arrives. Very exciting!

It’ll be the first time I’ve ever trained a quince tree, but I’m excited by the challenge, and in years to come, it’ll be great to have these gorgeous fruits growing in our back garden.