White Meadowsweet vs Japanese Quince - TreeTime.ca

White Meadowsweet vs Japanese Quince

Chaenomeles japonica

Spiraea alba

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Japanese Quince
White Meadowsweet

Japanese Quince has bright, orange to red showy flowers that bloom in early spring. The flowers appear before the leaves and may continue to bloom after leaves emerge. Flowers grow on old wood, so pruning after flowering will help to promote new growth next spring. They produce yellow-green fruit that taste bitter when eaten raw, typically they are better suited for making preserves.

It can be used as a stand alone ornamental shrub, as a low hedge, or can be trained to grow against a wall. In late winter, branches of Japanese Quince can be cut and brought indoors where they will bloom on their own. They are deer and rabbit tolerant. The branches are spiny making them well suited for keeping unwanted wildlife away.

White Meadowsweet is a woody, deciduous shrub that begins to bloom in early summer with small white and pink flowers. Its foliage turns from a light green into an attractive golden-yellow later in the fall.

The White Meadowsweet, also known as Mead-Wort or Bride-Wort, is favored by birds and butterflies but is largely ignored by deer. They produce small brown berries in the summer, and while they are technically edible, they are not sweet and are more desired by wildlife.

Japanese Quince Quick Facts

White Meadowsweet Quick Facts

Zone: 5a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Suckering: medium
Suckering: high


Fall colour: golden yellow
Flowers: showy, red-orange
Flowers: white, small
Fruit: greenish yellow
Flavor: bitter
Harvest: fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Other Names: flowering quince, maules quince
Other Names: mead wort, meadowsweet, narrowleaf meadowsweet, pale bridewort, pipestem