very very late season flower buds on quince...

i have this quince and it appears that it is producing flower buds that look like they will be opening any day now...





i live in zone 5 and our normal highs should be in the low 30s (f) by now, but we are running consistently about 15 degrees warmer than that, due to the strong el nino weather pattern... all of my deciduous material was brought in when we initially got down below freezing, but that was an aberration in our current weather pattern...

anyways, should i be concerned about how this will affect the tree come next spring ?

in any event, i have a feeling that there is not much i can do about it... or is there ?

any thoughts or advice is welcome !

Isn't it maybe just a bit early? Mine usually flower from mid to late winter into very early spring. So this seems about right for you if you're having mild weather? I would certainly protect it from severe cold if it leafs out but they are pretty tough.

I find that trimming quince in late fall induces the flowers buds to emerge like this. So I trim in early fall when I repot. It is warm enough here that mine will bloom all winter long without much worry, but I'm not so sure it would be the same in your climate. I recommend keeping it as sheltered as possible.

thanks for the replies michael & stan !

yes it is sheltered in my garage...

as i am new to quince, perhaps you are right michael... maybe it is just a bit early rather than out of season, per se...
and stan, yes i did prune in late fall, so that might be a contributing factor (in conjunction with our still mild weather)

i guess i wont be too concerned and just note it in my log for future reference

thanks again

I'm not far from you and I've seen the same thing with mine. I have a few different speciosa varieties and they tend to trow a few flower buds with almost any major change in the weather. Not to worry this warm weather is tricking it a bit but the shorter daylight hours will keep it in hibernation.

thanks dready... yeah, they seem to have stalled since i posted this with no further swelling
it was only garden center material on clearance, clarence... so i wont sweat it toooo much.

In our climate zone I have found the garden center quince to be pretty bullet proof. I have some double take varieties that grow well and flower profusely. I'm a bit of a sucker for them and probably have too many, they are just so reasonable at the end of the season.

I am a "me too" for the Double Take, garden center quinces. I like them, they are robust, more like Toyo Nishiki in growth than the dwarfs like Chojubai.

I have Double Take Scarlet Storm, I think I also have DT Orange Storm, and also have some traditional Japanese cultivars, like Toyo Nishiki, Chojubai, and contorted red and contorted white.

Any or all of them can form flower buds at any time of year. Spring is the big flush of blooms, but whenever they feel like it I get a scattering of buds. If a bud shows in late autumn, the bud will sit dormant, until a warm spell, like the mid winter thaw we tend to get for a week in January or February. They will pop open then. I bring them in, snap a picture and send them back outside to stay dormant the rest of the winter. I routinely get a scattering of buds about 6 weeks after any pruning, or any other work being done. Normal behavior for Chaenomeles.

Some more organized than I will time when they prune their quince, so that the flush of flower buds will be ready for a certain date, a show or a holiday, etc. Then bring the tree in to experience the couple warm days needed to see the flowers open. But this is tricky, because if inside too long winter hardiness is lost, and spring growth begins. I don't recommend the practice unless you are skilled at keeping track of timing and have a good frost free but cool 32 -40 F spot to return the tree to after being "warmed up" to force the bloom.

Some of my red chojubai are blooming now LOL...long since dropped all their leaves due to the cold. My chinese quince are showing tiny bloom starts for spring.
I have maybe close to 50 quinces. They have a mind of their own when it comes to blooming. maybe that's why I enjoy them so much. They'll be fine....

thanks dick, leo and everyone else...

i dont know the variety but i think i will call it winter solstice quince
here it is yesterday (50 degrees in milwaukee in december... crazy)

that's a really good color of red......

yeah dick... having never seen this one bloom, i was quite surprised at the vividness !

In my zone 7 they can bloom at any time. Love Japanese flowering quince. Watch aphids and mites, mites will most likely appear in the in the hot weather of summer.

I use a combo of neem oil (according to directions) with a tablespoon of mild dishwashing liquid (for a gallon) and it works on mites (and aphids). Spray every 5 days for a total of 3 or 4 applications but you cannot allow a large infestation. However if well cared for they will not kill the quince.Your plant must be in deep shade to tolerate this spray, spray in the morning and leave it in the shade for 24 hours.

My advice is, of course, based on my weather zone.

augustine wrote:My advice is, of course, based on my weather zone.

still appreciated though !

Hi there,

Here, it's not only about quince: the temps were mini: 9°C and max: 16°C. It's records highs, and it's the same in Ireland, in Spain, in Russia, and I heard that the temperatures are also above average in New York and in canada.

Night has fallen, but I could post photos of a Chinese quince, Carpinus and other trees that are leafing out when they usually do in March or even April here.

Just had my sister on the phone, she lives 350 km west, on the atlantic coast and the Chaenomeles "nivalis" I gave her is in full bloom. OK, Chaenomeles are among the first to flower, but in late January or in February, not now.

It's obvious that climate is changing, so good for my heating bill, but what I fear is that there might be periods of frost (even short ones) that will kill the leaf buds.

Maybe it's high time we reflected on these symptoms and changed our way of life...

AlainK wrote:Maybe it's high time we reflected on these symptoms and changed our way of life...

indeed... and for those who do not "believe in" global warming ( ) they should watch episode 12 of COSMOS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNBW2Eme06o

with much respect here is a video about global warming from the co founder of green-peace https://youtu.be/RkdbSxyXftc

Toshiro wrote:with much respect here is a video about global warming from the co founder of green-peace https://youtu.be/RkdbSxyXftc

that was the silliest piece of propaganda i have seen in quite some time...
and i loved this line:

"calling someone a 'climate change denier' is mean spirited because it intentionally connects them with groups like the 'holocaust deniers'..."

now THAT is funny
but also sad because some people agree with that way of thinking

and "with much respect", a little research on your source would save you quite a bit of embarrassment      

here is greenpeace's statment on your source, patrick moore

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/greenpeace-statement-on-patric/

happy holiday !
and sorry for the burn

beer city snake wrote:
(...)
"calling someone a 'climate change denier' is mean spirited because it intentionally connects them with groups like the 'holocaust deniers'..."

now THAT is funny
(...)

Thanks for the link

A very good example of what Godwin Law's mean:

"Promulgated by American attorney and author Mike Godwin in 1990, Godwin's Law originally referred specifically to Usenet newsgroup discussions. It is now applied to any threaded online discussion, such as Internet forums, chat rooms, and blog comment threads, as well as to speeches, articles, and other rhetoric."

Another good video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJAbATJCugs

Merry Xmas! (with a photo taken in my garden a couple of minutes ago)

Merry Christmas to All !!

Kevin,

I don't like to talk ----- I do -------- house is totally Solar powered and I am looking for, if I have to, with the help of friends down here, a battery that is
totally non-toxic to the earth ------ iron and x.
Same goes for the panels.

It isn't enough to just go solar, the equipment has to be non toxic.

Conflicting reports say Northern Earth going Hotter, Southern Earth colder, Tropics/ West Indies, getting the worst.
Laters.
Khaimraj

Ohh humble apologies for the rant.
Khaimraj

Snake,

I sounded off but did not answer your question. Your quince will not miss a beat because it has flowered. Mother Nature has it handled. Don't prune anymore until after the main spring flowering and if you prune lightly you could get more bloom afterwards. Garage storage should be swell.

I have one in the landscape and three being trained for bonsai, I've seen them bloom any time it's not freezing cold.

I have a contorted white quince and two Double takes. The Double Take quinces are very prolific bloomers and the flowers look like camellia. One year my scarlet storm double take bloomed from June to November, so much so that I removed most of the flowers and only enjoyed one or two at a time. Double Take is a great quince for bonsai training except the leaves are a little large but flowers make up for it.

I have corresponded with Dr. Tom Ranney who is responsible for breeding and releasing the Double Take quince. He's a "regular" guys and we have corresponded for three years. I've been telling him about the quince's progress in bonsai training and have sent pictures at his request. (this doesn't mean anything but the exchange has been very pleasant.)

Tip - the double takes are easy to find in the nursery trade and even the big box stores. Check out the 3 gallon cans and you may find a substantial trunk. They are not expensive. Some nurseries will put flowering quince on sale after the regular flowering season is finished. Check first part of July.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!

thanks augustine !
yes... i have begun to worry less and have just began appreciating my first quince flower show...

leo - i'm glad you chimed in, otherwise i would be tempted to bring it in for more that a day to show off the flowers (as few as they may be)

and khai - that was hardly a rant...
SOON THE WHOLE WORLD WILL BE SOLAR/WIND POWERED !!!
(as soon as the corporations/governments figure out how to rape us for the privilege of going green)

raging snowstorm outside... reckon i will ignore it until there's enough to ride...

until then, a couple of the flowers have opened

I have a Prunus mume with all leaves and buds. I saw one last week in full flower, that's at least 6 weeks early. I have also seen crab apples with flowers.