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A Peach of a Shrub: Flowering Quince ‘Cameo’

BY Kevin Lee Jacobs | May 12, 2011 19 Comments

Last updated on December 2nd, 2011

I HOPE YOU CAN FIND ROOM IN YOUR GARDEN for Chaenomeles x superba ‘Cameo.’ For three luxurious weeks each May, this flowering quince adorns itself in hundreds of peachy, fully-double, antique rose-type flowers. They are the kind of flowers which inspire poets, painters, and yes — even amateur photographers like me:

This sun-loving shrub, which blooms immediately after its brother, ‘Crimson and Gold,’ requires no care whatsoever. Give it regular watering the first summer after planting, and thereafter you need not bother. I prune mine lightly after flowering just to keep it within bounds (it can achieve a height and width of five feet).

Lovely flowers aren’t Cameo’s only value. When the stems drop their leaves in autumn, a vast quantity of edible fruit becomes apparent. If you don’t wish to cook the fruit — I’ll admit it takes quite a bit of boiling to soften the rock-hard flesh — you can simply savor its fragrance. A few golden quinces — preferably placed in a decorative bowl — will scent an entire room.

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Comments

  1. 1

    Katreader says

    May 12, 2011 at 4:13 pm

    You're flowering quince is beautiful. I have one and love it. My mom gave it to me after the bunnies in her garden tried to make a complete meal out of it. My bunnies couldn't care less about it and it's thriving. It's putting on a great show now-but I get flowers all through the year! I guess it really likes it here. I'll have to snap some photos.

  2. 2

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    May 12, 2011 at 5:29 pm

    Katreader – Sounds like you have a very special quince. Any idea what the variety is?

  3. 3

    Adele says

    May 12, 2011 at 6:37 pm

    Absolutely gorgeous! That's a must-have plant!!!

  4. 4

    Yolanda says

    May 15, 2011 at 6:20 pm

    Beautiful! That's my favorite color, too. Must buy this quince. The flowers do look like little roses.

  5. 5

    Carol says

    May 15, 2011 at 8:38 pm

    Quince is one of my favorite flowering shrubs. Certainly love this one. What a shade!

  6. 6

    Kristina says

    May 5, 2012 at 9:21 am

    I thought quince was a tropical zone plant? I live in upstate NY and would love to have this on the land. Any suggestions where to get one in the Catskill area? Is now a good time to plant it? Many thanks!!

  7. 7

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    May 5, 2012 at 9:24 am

    Kristina – You can certainly grow this great shrub in the Catskill area! Check with your local, independent garden center. If they don’t have it, they should be willing to order it for you.

  8. 8

    Nadya says

    March 5, 2013 at 9:35 am

    Hi, Kevin! My Cameo Quince is blooming nicely for several years, but it never produced fruit. Could you give me any clue, what goes wrong? Thank you!

  9. 9

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    March 5, 2013 at 12:08 pm

    Hi Nadya – I can’t imagine why your ‘Cameo’ isn’t setting fruit. Mine always does. It is possible you live where winters are mild? From what I’ve read, the shrub needs a definite cold period to flower and fruit well.

  10. 10

    Nadya says

    March 8, 2013 at 7:16 pm

    I live in Ohio, NW
    It does not give any fruit, and also, flowers are very sensitive to touch, if you do it flower will fall down right away

  11. 11

    Candy says

    April 30, 2013 at 9:26 am

    I have a ‘Cameo’ as well and I don’t think it sets fruit. One idea I have is that it is against a wall that gets intense sun for much of the day. Are they sensitive to transplanting? Maybe if it was moved to a colder spot that would help?

  12. 12

    Tere says

    May 10, 2014 at 3:17 pm

    My husband just gave me this beautiful bush as a Mother’s Day gift. Its in the bucket from the nursery and full of buds! I can hardly wait. It is amazing that they thrive in Maine but apparently they do.

  13. 13

    Debbie Dillingham says

    May 4, 2016 at 2:53 pm

    I have been looking for a cameo quince for my mother. She had a beautiful one at the house that she had to leave when my dad became ill. Do you know where I can purchase one?

  14. 14

    Kathleen Stoltzfus says

    May 8, 2016 at 7:13 am

    Does the cameo need another variety to set fruit?

  15. 15

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    May 8, 2016 at 10:03 am

    Hi Kathleen – It’s possible. My ‘Cameo’ is planted beside flowering quince ‘Crimson and Gold.’ Both shrubs produce fruit for me.

  16. 16

    Sherry Milen says

    July 5, 2017 at 10:25 am

    Hi Kevin,
    I hate to rain on the cameo quince parade but… I bought 5 of these beautiful little bushes after reading the tag which I believe said 3-4 ft tall and 5 ft wide. I have very large flower beds (HUGE) so they sounded perfect and I love the peach color. However, after 4 years with consistent pruning these bushes have become Horribly invasive as they spread by underground runners/roots. WAAAAY underground. They have spread more than 5 ft in each direction which makes them a minimum of 10ft in diameter! Mt husband and I have been working at digging them out since the spring. We have managed to get 3 of them out. After digging a DEEP crater around them and cutting most of the roots we could get to we have had to pull them out with his 4 wheel drive pick-up truck. And this took a lot of pulling and chopping of more roots with a pick ax. In no time little sprouts start coming out of any little root left in the ground. We have spent untold hours digging and cutting and pulling. My point is – there is no warning on the tag or in any description I have read as to the unfettered invasive aspect of this plant. Sooo, I would like to warn people that while they are very pretty while in bloom don’t plant them anywhere you don’t plan on leaving them permanently unless you have a full size Backhoe to get them out.

  17. 17

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    July 5, 2017 at 10:38 am

    Hi Sherry Milen – My ‘Cameo’ is nearly 10 years old now, and while it has increased in size (and beauty), it has not spread itself by underground roots. My guess? Your shrubs were incorrectly labeled by the seller.

  18. 18

    Sherry Milen says

    July 5, 2017 at 4:02 pm

    Hi Kevin – I have the original tag from the plants. They are “Cameo flowering quince” and they look exactly like the pictures above. The Supplier or Grower name on the tag is Valley Select.

  19. 19

    Kevin Lee Jacobs says

    July 5, 2017 at 4:58 pm

    Well, if they look like mine, then they are indeed Cameo. Too bad they decided to behave in such a deplorable manner! You have my empathy — ’tis no fun dealing with aggressive plants.

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