Mayday Cherry vs Japanese Quince - TreeTime.ca

Mayday Cherry vs Japanese Quince

Prunus padus

Chaenomeles japonica

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Mayday Cherry
Japanese Quince

Mayday Cherry is a small deciduous tree known for its early blooming and fragrant white flowers.

A favourite specimen tree on prairie homesteads, Mayday Cherry produces small black berries that are inedible to people but highly desirable to birds.

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.

Mayday Cherry Quick Facts

Japanese Quince Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 5a
Height: 9 m (30 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 8 m (25 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: medium

Toxicity: seeds and leaves are toxic if ingested

Flowers: early blooming, white
Flowers: showy, red-orange
Fruit: small black berries
Fruit: greenish yellow
Berries: small black berries
Flavor: bitter
Harvest: fall
Seeds: located within the berries
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: common bird cherry, european bird cherry
Other Names: flowering quince, maules quince