Flowering Shrubs

This is Viburnum carlesii,  Korean spicebush.   It smells divine.    We have one of these, that I planted when it was 6 inches high and that somehow we didn't kill even though we dug under half of it when we were digging and putting in the new foundation.   It must love us. 

It's about 6 feet high now and weathered the winter gloriously.   It smells divine.  

I'm going to try to root some cuttings this year so we can have a half dozen more across the front of the house when the new construction is done.

And here's another great spring flowering shrub - Chaenomeles japonica - Japanese flowering quince.   

It's beautiful this time of year and almost indestructible.   It spreads via runners and will form a hedge if you let it.   I've seen fruit form, but never have been able to harvest, though my neighbor down the way says that she has gotten enough to make jelly with.    I'm hoping that we have enough bees to get some actual fruit eventually.

You just can't beat how gorgeous these flowers are. 

Flowering Quince

We see these all over out here.  They bloom the same time as the daffodills and it's not uncommon to see a double row of daffodills a couple of feet apart marching up through the brush.    It means a house used to be there.   The daffs were planted on either side of the walk that led to the front door.   The quince blooms off to the side.

The Latin name is Chaenomeles.  Here's the Wiki article on them. I can't tell you the exact species because ours hasn't fruited.

I hope it does.   We've planted them in a couple of places where they can get BIG.   Our neighbor has an old one like ours [ours probably came from hers way back when] and it fruits. 

Maybe this year.

They bloom on old wood and can get 10 feet high.   This one is about 6 feet high.  It's in the back along a spring next to a dogwood.