Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles sp.)
This shrub or small tree has two distinct personalities. Flowering Quince spends most of the year as a shrubby tangle of branches and non-descript foliage. But then, for a brief two or three weeks in early spring, it transforms itself into a drop-dead beauty. Its bare thorny branches are covered with brilliant 1 1/2 to 2 inch usually red blossoms and offers up a delightful fragrance.