Flowering quince

I've brought this in, hoping that I can force some blooming from it before a birthday party we're hosting next Saturday. I suspect I waited too long, but the buds should be almost ready to pop by then, and that is pretty, too.

Hi Jim, Love the tree and the anticipation of the flowers is a great way to greet the spring and the better weather.
I think the tree is begging for a better pot, maybe an old chinese?
Regards Chris

Correction: The tree is SCREAMING for a better pot! I just haven't found it yet. This one is "old Chinese," though -- about 40 years old.

Since the tree is penjing/literati styled, I do want a colorful pot. Round. I had a nice hand-made, blue green one, but something knocked it off the table onto a flagstone and that was that. This one -- though a very cheap, made-in-Hong Kong, Oriental bazaar-type pot -- at least fits the mood of the tree.

I just love flowering quince.
Your cascading quince is just great Jim.
It seems to be a very old specimen, do you have older development pictures?
It would be interesting to see.

Here's mine..ready to pop any moment now.




New Bonsai Art

I started this tree in '94. First is a picture from 2001 -- the oldest I have.



And then from 2007.

It's interesting to see the different ways quince are used as bonsai. I remember seeing yours, Jim, in years past. It looks really good.

Here's mine.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32652998@N04/4402103051/

I bought this from a friend of mine in 2005. We both got divisions of a garden plant, with permission, in 2003. I think the parent plant is well over 80 years old.

Good to see some Quince - here is mine.
Japanese Quince - Chaenomeles japonica
Height: 13 cm. Age app.: 1995. Trained since 1999. Pot: Elsebeth Ludvigsen, Denmark.

How easily do they air layer? I have a couple of lovely garden shrubs and I'd like to try and get some bits off them to develop as mame / shohin trees.

Hi Fiona

Quince are easy to airlayer, and also cuttings set roots fairly easy. So just go ahead.

Regards
Morten

They're among the easiest to layer or grow from sizable cuttings. Have at it, Fiona.

These other ones are lovely. Thanks for showing.

Nice Cascade.

I like quince, but they have big leaves. Does anyone know of a variety that has smaller leaves?

The leaves on mine are about as large as my thumbnail < 1". I don't consider that to be so large.

The leaves can vary a little in size but not much. Before exhibitions the leaves are often removed and only the flowers are left back. After the exhibition also the flowers are removed so the Quince can develop new leaves and regain strength. It is important only to do this with a healthy specimen.

This quince belongs to a friend of mine. It's still a long way off being the finished article but I thought I would share the flowers. It has a monster trunk and was salvaged from an old garden that was being cleared. I was amazed to see the single trunk as most of these tend to be a mass of thin trunks.

Beautiful and impressive trunk. Most likely many smaller trunks fused together by nature.

Regards
Morten