Quince needs sun to ripen its fruit, and even in the south of the UK the fruit won't usually ripen fully on the tree. In Scotland that makes the site as important as the variety, and it makes a variety that copes with a wet summer worth choosing.
Quick answer
Serbian Gold for most gardens: compact, with resistance to leaf blight. Champion for a small garden, Aromatnaya for fruit you can eat fresh, and Lusitanica for the most ornamental tree.
What Scotland means for the choice
Further north, or on a colder or more exposed site, quince is best planted against a south- or south-west-facing wall for extra warmth and shelter, whichever variety you choose. All six here are rated H5The RHS's H1a–H7 scale for how much cold a plant can survive outdoors, H1a being tender indoor-only and H7 hardy anywhere in the UK. Full definition →, so winter cold isn't the issue; the spring flowers can be damaged by frost, and a wet summer brings quince leaf blight, the disease that does most to separate these varieties. Quince is self-fertileA plant that can set fruit using its own pollen, without needing a second, different variety nearby to cross-pollinate it. Full definition →, usually starts cropping at five or six years old, and the fruit needs six to eight weeks in store to mellow before use. The quince growing guide covers planting, rootstocksThe root system and lower stem a fruit tree is grafted onto, chosen to control the tree's eventual size rather than for its own fruit. Full definition →, pruning and storing.
| Variety | Fruit | Tree | Stands out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serbian Gold | Rounded, golden, aromatic; early autumn | Compact, 2.5–4m; full size in 10–20 years | Resistance to leaf blight |
| Aromatnaya | Round to oval, 7–10cm | No figure given | Can be eaten fresh; tolerant of leaf blight |
| Champion | Large, pear-shaped, fragrant | 2.5–4m tall, 1.5–2.5m spread; full size in 5–10 years | A narrow tree, quick to full size |
| Vranja | Pear-shaped, aromatic, good flavour | Large | An early cropper |
| Meech's Prolific | Sweetly scented, pear-shaped, yellow | No figure given | A heavy cropper |
| Lusitanica | Large, pear-shaped, deep yellow | No figure given | Silvery-grey down on leaves and fruit |
Serbian Gold is the only one here with the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGMThe RHS's Award of Garden Merit: a UK-wide trials award for reliable performance, not a Scotland-specific recommendation. Full definition →), a UK-wide award rather than a Scottish one.
Serbian Gold
Serbian Gold is a compact tree with rounded, aromatic, golden fruit picked in early autumn, and it has resistance to leaf blight. In a wet summer trial at RHS Garden Wisley in 2023, it showed good tolerance, with smaller lesions and little early leaf fall compared with susceptible varieties. The trial was in Surrey, so it reflects a wet summer rather than a short, cool Scottish one.
Aromatnaya and Champion
Aromatnaya did well in the same Wisley trial, and it has one trait the others lack: its fruit can be eaten fresh, where quinces normally can't be eaten raw. Champion is narrower than Serbian Gold, spreading 1.5–2.5m against 2.5–4m, and reaches full size in 5–10 years against 10–20 for a variety like Serbian Gold, which makes it the one for a small garden or a trained tree against a wall.
Vranja, Meech's Prolific and Lusitanica
Vranja is an early cropper with pear-shaped, aromatic fruit of good flavour, on a large tree. Meech's Prolific is a heavy cropper with sweetly scented yellow fruit. Lusitanica, the Portuguese quince, has large, deep-yellow fruit, and its young leaves and fruit carry a silvery-grey down, which makes it the most ornamental of the six. None of the three has stated resistance to leaf blight.
Which one for your situation
- Most gardens, and a wet area: Serbian Gold.
- A small garden, or a tree trained on a wall: Champion.
- Fruit to eat fresh: Aromatnaya.
- An early crop: Vranja.
- An ornamental tree: Lusitanica.
Beyond leaf blight, watch for aphids, powdery mildew, brown rot, codling moth and fireblight on any quince.
Common questions
Can I grow quince in Scotland?
Yes, best against a south- or south-west-facing wall for warmth and shelter. Serbian Gold, with its resistance to leaf blight, is the safest choice for a wet summer.
Is quince the same as japonica?
No. This is Cydonia oblonga, the tree grown for its large, aromatic fruit. Flowering quince (Chaenomeles, or japonica) is a different shrub grown for its flowers.
How long before a quince tree fruits?
Quinces usually start cropping at five or six years old. The fruit then needs six to eight weeks in store to mellow before use, except Aromatnaya, which can be eaten fresh.
Sources
Show the 8 sources
- Quince: Grow Your Own: Varieties and descriptions (Serbian Gold AGM, Vranja, Meech's Prolific); a south- or south-west-facing wall further north; frost on flowers; self-fertile; cropping at five or six years; mellowing six to eight weeks; fruit rarely ripening fully in UK summers
- Quince Leaf Blight: The 2023 Wisley trial: Serbian Gold and Aromatnaya tolerance
- Cydonia oblonga 'Serbian Gold': Compact tree, size, fruit, early autumn picking, 10-20 years to full size
- Cydonia oblonga 'Aromatnaya': Fruit, eaten fresh
- Cydonia oblonga 'Champion': Size, 5-10 years to full size, fruit
- Cydonia oblonga 'Vranja Nenadovic': Tree and fruit
- Cydonia oblonga 'Meech's Prolific': Fruit
- Cydonia oblonga 'Lusitanica': Fruit, downy leaves and fruit