Re: Make a Chaenomeles recommendation?
- Subject: Re: Make a Chaenomeles recommendation?
- From: T* a* M* R*
- Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2002 09:42:33 +1300
Susannah wrote:
>
> Hello all --
> Perhaps one of you wise people can tell me if a Chaenomeles cultivar exists
> that has the characteristics I'm looking for -- non-dwarf, non-suckering,
> with the characteristic bright salmon/rose flowers, and with new growth
> that is green, not reddish. Edible fruit would be nice, but I don't want
> to ask for the moon :-). I've seen these characteristics separately, but
> not all in one plant. ' Cameo' for example, has the green new growth and
> doesn't sucker (practically), but it's a dwarf and the flowers are too
> pastel for where I want to put this one. Any suggestions will be much
> appreciated!
Susannah
As I am not familar with your locally-available cultivars, I can only
make a couple of general observations. Firstly, if you want a tall plant
you have to look for a variety of the Chinese species, C speciosa (The
Japanense quince
C japonica does not grow more than 3 feet high).
Secondly, as the Chinese quince typically grows by suckering, the only
way to avoid this seems to be to find a plant which has been grafted on
to a root of the European quince (cydonia). Even this latter will
admittedly try to sucker occasionally (I have one myself) but mainly if
you do a lot of cultivating around the roots. I should imagine the
majority of plants in the trade will be grafted, but if one grows a
cutting from a friend, which will be on its own roots, such a one would
almost certainly suffer from suckering.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan
Wainuiomata NZ,
where it's Summer in January and Winter in July.
