I was tramping through Truro today, head down, umbrella up, pretty much oblivious to everything, when something caught the corner of my eye. I turned and saw a lovely Oriental Quince or Chaenomeles, a sprawling tangle of twigs festooned with pinky red baubles, some of which were bursting open to reveal bright yellow stamens.
A joyous jumble of colourful dots against bare and wintery bark (most of the green you can see is Ivy scrambling through it)
I have always had mixed feelings about Chaenomeles. I had one in my garden in London that I spent my life trying to prune and neaten, as it was too big for the spot it was in. I got royally scratched by its nasty thorns and irritated by my lack of success! Eventually the suckers, thorns and lack of flowers, probably caused by pruning at the wrong time of year, got too much for me and we dug it out (that wasn't an easy job either).
But I must say mine never looked like this!
Left alone (this one was in a municipal bed by the side of a road - not constantly, or even regularly tended) and in a space large enough to give it its head and the result is gorgeous.
They are very hardy and will grow almost anywhere, they are bushy and like sun/partial shade, come in a range of pinks and reds and produce fruit. However they do need space and during the late spring/summer they are not wildly interesting. But if you are looking for a riot of twigs and an energetic burst of colour when everything else is wet, dreary and dull, then this is your plant.
It certainly made me smile!
Perhaps it's time to rethink my stance on the Chaenomeles!
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