Quince trees
Champion quince tree
Champion is a round / pear-shaped quince, with a yellow-green colour.Meech's Prolific quince tree
Meech's Prolific is a popular quince variety from the USA, fragrant fruit and attractive blossom.Portugal quince tree
Portugal is perhaps the best-flavoured of all Quinces, but prefers a warm dry climate.Serbian Gold quince tree
Serbian Gold is probably the best quince variety for the UK climate.More about Quince trees
Quince trees produce are versatile pear-like fruits used for culinary purposes - use them in the same way you would apples or pears. They are particularly good for preserves, and a small amount of stewed quince also gives an interesting lift to many apple-based recipes. The blossom and fruits are very attractive.
Quince trees prefer warm climates, and are well-suited to the southern and central UK and central Europe, but some quince varieties are adapted to cooler areas. They are generally slow-growing but long-lasting trees. The first fruits are borne after 4-5 years.
Quince trees benefit from a general purpose plant food in late winter, and young trees in particular should have a good layer of mulch to suppress weeds and keep the roots moist - they like slightly damp conditions for their roots. If you can provide a sunny sheltered spot with moist soil you should be successful.
Quinces should stored in a cool place after picking (preferably with natural light, it does not need to be dark), to allow the fruit to mature and the fragrant flavour to develop - they can be used after a month or so. It is best to store them away from other fruits unless you want them also to pick up the fragrance of the quinces.