The Quince Hedge is Coming of Age

Way, way back in the mists of time (2011), when this blog was just starting to be, I wrote a piece about my quince hedge.   Looking at the photograph at the time and reading the description I made of it, it is little more than a scrubby row of twigs at this stage.  The hedge is in the front garden under the lounge window.  I envisaged a flower-festooned hedge of wonderfulness that would buzz with bees at this time of year.  I even mentioned how my previous ornamental quince had been a great bee-attractor and this was key reason for wanting it in my current garden.
Jogging on a few more years to 2014 and I thought it was time for an update.  It is a slightly less scrubby row of twigs and there are definitely more flowers at this stage but it still lacks oomph - and, quite frankly, bees.
2015 arrives and there is another update.  Now there is a framework to help support the quince shrubs and it is starting to look a bit more realistic as a hedge - or maybe a hedgelet.
2016 and the hedge celebrated its quinquennial - you get the picture by now, the hedge is improving, and finally I mention it is attracting the bees, what a relief!  I almost find this post the most interesting of all since the very first one.  I look now at the hedge and I think it has come on really well this year.  I think there is a quite a leap of growth.  I always thought it would develop more quickly once it reached pruning stage as that would encourage it to branch out.  This appears to have been true.  The only slight concern I have is that this year I have not yet seen any bees on it.  This worries me, I am hoping it is just the recent colder weather causing this.
and as if by magic, just as I was thinking the 'where are the bees?' thought, the sun came out and the air started to buzz....
.... and the quince was doing its job.
It also routinely produces quinces, which is more than Quince Major has ever achieved.  Of course the ornamental quinces are quicker to produce generally so that is not a completely fair comment; fairly fair, but not completely......
So now here we are, celebrating the seventh anniversary of checking up on the hedge in blog.  Should I buy it something made of copper to commemorate this?  Maybe something of wool - or, as the website I am currently looking at suggests, a desk set which is apparently often a gift for a seventh anniversary.  I shall ask hedge if it needs a desk set before rushing out and getting one for it.
The hedge is now coming of age.