4/29/08

The Mystery Bush

View of the bush from the back door

It was very windy out today so I snipped a branch to snap a shot inside!


The branch ended up on the kitchen windowsill looking out at its former life on the bush


I love the way my cheap little camera captured the screen (yes, the good camera is in Taiwan with Earle)


Ever since we moved here three years ago we've wondered about the magnificent bush near our deck in the back yard. It sports lovely coral colored flowers in the spring, budding out even before its leaves show up. It is a haven for the myriad of birds that flock to our yard. They hide within its branches, undetected by predators, leaping ever closer to the edge where they can fly to the feeder nearby. The bush is also the hanging place for the suet cage, a handy and necessary winter snack for our feathered friends.


We have always wondered, but never knew what the bush was called, so this year I decided to research it online. My research labeled it a flowering quince . The bush shape is right as are the small thorns and five-petaled reddish pink flowers. The problem is the bush bears no fruit. Where are our quince? We love quince jelly. Wouldn't it be wonderful to make our own! I surmise the bush must not receive sufficient sunlight because it grows under the shade of one of our maple trees. It may also just be that it is out of control and too "leggy". If we gave it a trim it might produce. Sadly, since I have seen others like it and have yet to notice any fruit, it could be some ornamental hybrid that no longer produces quince. Well, the flowers are lovely anyway. The bush is one of the features in our yard I like the best. It's a keeper, fruit or not.

5 comments:

Needleroozer said...

It is called flowering quince because that is all it does- flowers but no fruit.
But yes, they are beautiful, and birds love them. My mom has one in her yard- that thing is nearly as old as I am.
Pretty photos!
LB

Ruskin said...

How wonderful to have such miraculous beauty in your garden. I have never seen anything like it. It shall try to remember flowering quince. I wonder if it grows in Europe...

Lisa said...

LB, thanks for the info. Too bad about the "no fruit" verdict, but I sure am glad to know ! :-)

DebMc said...

Very pretty.

I rather like the texture the screen gives the photo.

Vanessa said...

I love the existential dilemma of the part now separated and contemplating its whole from afar. Quince paste is called membrillo in Spanish and is one of my favorite snacks on bread with cheese. Who knew its origins were so beautiful!