About
Cydonia oblonga 'Vranja' Nenadovic is a sizable, wide-crowned deciduous shrub or small tree. Its foliage features a greyish, hairy underside, and it produces flowers that reach up to 5 cm in diameter, often with a hint of pink. The plant yields large, pear-shaped fruits that are green when unripe, transitioning to a golden-yellow hue as they mature and emit a pleasant fragrance.
About the genus
Cydonia consists of sizable deciduous shrubs featuring simple, ovate foliage. The plants produce bowl-shaped flowers with five petals, which can be pink or white. After flowering, they bear fruits resembling pears, which are suitable for consumption once they mature.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Clay, Loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Fruit Edible, Shrubs, Trees
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 2.5-4 metres
- Spread
- 2.5-4 metres
- Time to full height
- 10-20 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden
- Fragrance
- Fruit
- Toxicity
- Seeds contain toxins so these should be removed if you are considering eating the fruit, usually grown as an ornamental shrub. Pets: Fruit are ornamental - not to be eaten - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in a warm, sheltered spot as flowers are susceptible to frost and warm conditions are needed for the fruit to ripen well. Tolerant to a wide range of soil, but will do best where soil is deep and moisture retentive, so long as it is not prone to waterlogging. Further quince cultivation advice
- Pruning
- Pruning group 1
- Propagation
- Propagate from semi-ripe cuttings in summer, but it is often propagated by grafting onto a clonal rootstock for fruit. The rootstock will determine the size of the plant
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free but may be susceptible to pests that can affect apples and pears such as caterpillars and aphids
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to quince leaf blight, brown rot, fireblight, powdery mildews and honey fungus