Quince!

Once upon a time we bought our first house and the backyard was mostly grass and weeds. I found a twig hiding in the grass by the house. It looked like it might be something. So I mulched around the mystery plant and let it grow. More than once I wondered if I should give up on it - it was rather straggly looking. Three years later it grew some thorns and I thought that I had made a mistake. It was just turning into a regular old pricker bush! Practically a weed! I was going to have to pull it up sometime this year.

Then over the weekend I saw something strange and orange on the bush. I went over for a closer look... it was a flower! The mystery plant is a flowering quince!

I am smitten. These have actually been on my “plants I’d like to have” list for a while now. They are so beautiful when they bloom. I almost ordered one a few times... and now I have one! Patience paid off - the ugly duckling turned into a swan.