AN old friend of spring which we now often overlook is Japonica. Easy and reliable and with such a simple name, it cheers up by a bare wall in March and April, or at least it once did when gardeners took the time to train it. And it does need some discipline and pruning if the shrub is to give of its best.
Left to its own devices it becomes a tangled mass of crisscrossing twigs - a dense bush up to six or eight feet high without order or charm, not unlike an enormous crow's nest. So this is a shrub for the gardener who likes to snip and shape and impose order on unruly and untidy nature.
As the name suggests, Japonica is from Japan and of course such a name is nonsense - it is akin to calling a plant simply "Irish" or "American". We need to know Irish or American what or who. So we should be correct and try to give it its proper name of Chaenomeles, or, if English is preferred Flowering Quince. The great beauty of Chaenomeles is the show of flowers produced in abundance and with vigour on the bare stems before the leaves appear.
It seems not to mind the cold, nor is it particular as to soil type but it would like some sun if it is to do really well. It need not be the sunniest position but try to treat it kindly. I have grown it on a north facing wall where it survived but did not flourish. There is little point making plants suffer like that - half a flowering quince or half of any plant is certainly not better than none. And by that I mean we should make all our plants do their best and not be satisfied with malingerers. So give a plant a decent start and a reasonable opportunity to thrive and if it fails to please sufficiently then let it make way for something else.
The Chaenomeles is good because of the flowers, which are rather like apple blossom but are generally more telling as they come in a great array of reds, pinks and even in white. The stronger colours are the best if you want an eye catching display. The white to my mind is a waste of time - I grew it once and had to consciously peer at it to see the flowers. No, the Chaenomeles should be encouraged to beckon and call, cheerfully heralding brighter longer days. As a change from all the yellows of spring it is welcome.
The natural habit of growth is not exactly beautiful. The twiggy branches jut out and upwards with an angular thorny growth, crisscrossing and creating an unsightly mess. It can be grown as a shrub in the open or in a border if no suitable wall space is available and while the plant is young it can be pleasing enough, but thinning and removal of some branches will be necessary as the shrub develops.
The very best specimens are wall trained - no wires or supports are necessary although they can be a help. The plant produces so many twiggy stems that there will be no difficulty in retaining those by the wall and cutting away bushy growth which projects too far forward. In time a simple skeleton of branches close to the wall can be achieved.
Because Chaenomeles has fallen somewhat in popularity the number of named forms in the average outlet will be limited. Chaenomeles Japonica Crimson and Gold is widely available, the crimson referring to the five petals and gold to the anthers. Etna, Firedance and Knaphill Scarlet are all rich, red colours as the names imply. A good form is named after the Co Down garden Rowallane, and there is a semi double pink flowered farm Phylis Moore named after the late great Dublin gardener, Lady Moore. Old catalogues list dozens of cultivars indicating just how popular the shrub was a generation ago.
The fun is not all over after flowering as the shrub bears fruit in autumn. The quince produced are two or three inches long, green fading to yellow as autumn progresses.
They are lovely for picking and bringing indoors as they create a distinctive aromatic scent. To wake up to the smell of one in the morning is especially pleasing and they will last for weeks on the windowsill. The books say that they can be cut up and added to apple tart to enliven it. That is something I, have not yet tried.