Kirsty Angwin encourages us all to give these wonderful heritage fruits a go
Cydonia oblonga, or quince, is one of those rather ignored heritage fruit trees that we really should be growing in our gardens. The golden, often pear-shaped fruits make the most delicious jellies, jams, quince cheese, marmalades, and – across the Balkans – quince brandy. In hotter climes, quince can ripen enough to be eaten fresh, but here in the UK this rarely occurs, and the fruit is mostly used in making preserves. The word ‘marmalade’ actually comes from the Portuguese ‘marmelo’, meaning quince, and ‘marmelada’, meaning quince preparation, evoking times when only quince fruit was turned into conserves. The final preserves are a pleasing rich pink colour.
Closely related to pears and apples, quince belongs to the Rosaceae family and was probably first grown and domesticated in Turkey and Iran, spreading to Greece and the Roman empire. Throughout its history, quince has been highly valued for its aromatic fruit, linked to mythology and seen as a symbol of good luck and fertility. It was first recorded in England when King Edward I had some planted at the Tower of London in 1275. Most commercial growing is for their rootstocks, Quince A and C, which are used for a number of pears and ornamental trees.
It is such a good-looking tree, with a rustic charm. It bears pretty pink spring blossoms which open in May and spread throughout the tree with glorious aromatic, golden fruit, followed by autumnal leaf hues. Quince is also great for pollinators and not too big for most gardens.
Don’t confuse them with the ornamental ‘Japonica’ quince, Chaenomeles. These flowering, twiggy shrubs produce early colourful flowers which do bear edible fruits if they are very well-cooked, but these are smaller, harder and lack quince aroma.
Selection
Cydonia oblonga is a modest tree and not particularly vigorous, but fairly bushy in its habit. Its mature dimensions vary according to the soil it is grown in and the rootstock itself, but are usually around three to six metres tall. Most quince trees are grown on their own rootstocks, but look out for those grafted onto Quince C for a more manageable size. Quince are self-pollinating, but even so, cropping may be improved by growing more than one cultivar.
There is quite a choice when it comes to selecting your quince. A recent Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit assessment was carried out in 2017 and gave Cydonia oblonga ‘Serbian Gold’ the AGM award. Th
