Flowering Quince is very adaptable in the home landscape. You can use it as a hedge, as a ground cover, or as a specimen in the yard, rock garden, or in a shrub border. If it is pruned to reveal the angled branches it becomes an excellent addition to Oriental gardens. It makes effective security barriers by virtue of the thorny dense tangle of stems it produces. It can be espaliered against walls. Quince is also one of the most popular species for creating deciduous bonsai specimens. A delicious marmalade is made from the hard aromatic fruit.
Forcing/Cutting For Display Indoors
Budded Flowering Quince branches will bloom indoors as early as January. However, the closer they are to their normal bloom time, the faster they will bloom prematurely indoors. Cut stems on a mild day. The more swollen the buds, the sooner they will open in the warmth of the house. To maintain a pleasing natural shape for the shrub, choose branches that the shrub will never miss. The longer the selected branches the more flowers there will be. Long stems are also more versatile for indoor arrangements.
Once indoors, cut off the ends of the branches for a fresh cut, slit the woody ends to help them absorb water, and immediately immerse them in warm water to soak for 3 to 4 hours. Strip off any leaves that will be underwater, then place them in a dimly lit, cool place until the buds begin showing color.
Change the water periodically. When you see some color in the buds, arrange the Flowering Quince branches in a vase with fresh water. Add some commercial floral preservative or some citrus-based carbonated soda (non-diet) to the water to prolong their freshness when the flowers open. Bring them into a bright room where they can be appreciated. These blooms should last about a week and lift winter weary spirits.
If you choose to wait until they bloom outdoors to bring some in, cut the branches just as the buds are showing color. Put them in water as described above. Display them alone, or combined with spring bulb flowers such as early tulips, daffodils and other flowering shrubs such as forsythia and dogwood. For more information see the file on Keeping Cut Flowers and Cut Flower Supplies
