Fruiting Quince (botanical name Cydonia oblonga) can grow in Maryland but it is challenging to maintain, and like all of the mainstream fruit trees (apple, cherry, peach, pear, etc.), they are high-maintenance in terms of pest and disease prevention. Two key problems of note for quince are the diseases rust (fungal) and fire blight (bacterial), and protective pesticide applications would need to be make several times of year. You might be able to follow our care guidelines for apples and pears, since they are close cousins of quince and share many of the same ailments.

Unfortunately, Maryland Extension doesn't have information about growing quince in Maryland, including cultivar recommendations, because it's a rarely-grown crop here. Below are some resources published by other east-coast universities about cultivating quince in our region that might be useful. Area nurseries that offer fruiting quince for sale may have more tips about cultivar cross-pollination pairings, variety selection for disease resistance or hardiness, and other factors. We don't keep track of nurseries or their offerings, nor do we make particular business recommendations, but a web search will probably turn-up a few fruit tree suppliers in nearby states. Check the botanical name to make sure an inventory listing is the kind of quince you want.

• Quinces - Cornell
• The Unappreciated Quince [PDF] - Harvard; starting with the Landscape Use section on page 5
• Quince - Penn State

Flowering Quince (genus Chaenomeles) is more commonly grown here as a decorative early-blooming shrub, but while it does technically produce small fruits, they are not routinely used for consumption and need to be cooked given their astringency when raw. The related Chinese Quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis) also grows in the mid-Atlantic but is about as scarce as Cydonia. They also produce fruit that is inedible raw and tend to only be used for juice extracts, jams, and so forth.

Miri