Chaenomeles speciosa Hot Fire - Flowering Quince

Japanese Quince 'Hot Fire' stands out from other quinces with its very abundant flowers in a fiery red colour.

Chaenomeles speciosa 'Hot Fire' (R) 'Minvesu' is a low-growing shrub with spreading branches, remarkable for its early spring flowering (March-April) on still-naked branches. The flowers, pink to fiery red, are grouped in clusters and have a cup-like shape with a diameter of 3 to 5 cm (1.2 to 2 in).

This thorny and hardy plant can be planted in pots as well as in gardens, either as a standalone specimen, in flower beds, or as a free-growing hedge. It has a low habit, reaching 1 m (3 ft 4 in) in height, and a spread of about 3 to 5 m (9 ft 10 in to 16 ft 5 in).

The bright green, narrow leaves are 5 cm (2 in) long.

The greenish-yellow fruits, measuring 5 to 7 cm (2 to 2.8 in), make for excellent jams.

In our opinion, it has some of the most beautiful spring flowers, as depicted in traditional Chinese watercolour paintings from the mountainous regions where it originates.

It can be combined with lilacs or forsythias for a mix of colours, or with creeping perennial geraniums to cover the base of the quince bush.