How to Trim a Japanese Quince

Japanese quince, Chaenomeles japonica -- also called flowering quince -- becomes a spreading, rounded shrub 3 feet tall and 5 to 6 feet wide at maturity. Numerous five-petaled orange-red or coral-orange blossoms line the barren branches in springtime, followed by small yellow-green fruits with a sour flavor, often used for making preserves. Grow the Japanese quince in any fertile, well-drained soil that isn't alkaline, in full sun to partial shade; more sunlight leads to more blooms. Suitable for U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9, the shrub may sporadically bloom in winter during warm spells.

Thick gloves
Hand pruners, or secateurs

Instructions

- 1
  Put on a pair of thick fabric or leather gloves before handling the branches of a Japanese quince. Thorns line the branches and the dense matrix of branches often tangles. Consider wearing long sleeves, too, to prevent punctures or scrapes on your forearms.
- 2
  Cut back flowering branches with hand pruners in late spring after the blooming season ends. Reduce the branch tips that recently flowered by 4 to 10 inches, making the pruning cut 1/4 inch above a lower leaf, branch junction or dormant bud.
- 3
  Remove one-fifth to one-third of the oldest branches on older, established Japanese quince shrubs. Prune these branches back to their bases, leaving 3- to 5-inch stubs. Cut out these branches evenly across the entire shrub. New growth occurs during summer and rejuvenates the shrub.
- 4
  Cut back another one-fifth to one-third of the oldest remaining branches the next year, to continually grow new branches that will produce more flowers the following spring.

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