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Aromatnaya Russian Quince (Spring 2027)
$49.99
Reliable shipping
Flexible returns
Ripening
Will it finish before your first hard freeze?
Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)
Disease resistanceResists 1 of 2
- 3 Fire blight : Moderate, 3 of 5
- 4 Quince leaf blight : Resistant, 4 of 5
Scored 1 to 5. Higher resists better, and ? means no published data yet.
See it on our unusual fruit disease chart (opens in a new tab)At a glance: Aromatnaya Russian Quince is a quince tree rated hardy to zone 4 in our ratings (winters to -30°F), and self-fertile, so one tree can crop.
| Also called | Quince (Cydonia oblonga) |
|---|---|
| Hardy to | Zone 4 to 9. A bare number means the whole of zone 4, colder half included (winters to -30°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator. |
| Chill hours | About 300 hours (100 to 500). Our estimate. No published figure exists for this variety yet. That's low, so chill is never short here, but it can wake early in a midwinter warm spell. Check your chill hours or see our sources. |
| Pollination | Self-Fertile. Bloom group 4 of 7 (mid), very late spring here. Aromatnaya is self-fertile, so one tree will fruit. Planting Ravalli Quince nearby should improve crops, since quince pollenizes best with other quince. Bloom group is our estimate from the variety's origin and relatives. Pollination Charts. |
| Rootstock and size | OHxF 87: semi-dwarf, about 14 to 19 ft tall unpruned. The most precocious OHxF stock. Our rootstock guide. |
| Good for | Cooking and roasting (8/10), jams and jellies (8/10), pies and baking (6/10), winter storage (6/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists. |
| What you get | Bare root, 3-5 ft or 4-6 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out. |
We are new to growing Aromatnaya Russian Quince, so this information is all second-hand.
Overview
Aromatnaya Russian Quince is an old Black Sea–region variety known for its intense fragrance—when the fruit ripens, it fills the area with a tropical, pineapple-citrus aroma. The fruit is large, bright yellow, and firm when first picked, then softens in storage to a pear-like texture that becomes sweet enough to enjoy fresh. Aromatnaya is also excellent for jelly, preserves, baking, and for adding aroma and tannin to apple cider.
Hardiness & Growth Habit
This cultivar is one of the hardiest quinces available, typically listed hardy to USDA zone 4–5 and generally expected to tolerate temperatures down to about –30°F once established. The tree naturally grows compact, usually around 10–12 feet tall and wide, with a spreading habit that lends itself well to open-center training. It blooms in late April and ripens late September into October, with fruit that stores for months in cool conditions.
Pollination
Aromatnaya is self-fertile, so a single tree will produce fruit on its own, and we do not offer any other quince currently. Although Aromatnaya sometimes overlaps bloom with later European pears, quince always pollenizes best with other quince, and pears should be considered bonus pollen rather than the main source.
Site & Care
This variety prefers full or half-day sun and well-drained soil, and it shows good disease resistance relative to many fruit trees. As with all quinces, it can be susceptible to fire blight in high-pressure areas, so maintaining airflow and clean pruning practices is beneficial.
Questions we get about Aromatnaya Russian Quince
Does Aromatnaya Russian Quince need a pollenizer?
No. Aromatnaya Russian Quince is self-fertile, so a single tree can set fruit. Aromatnaya is self-fertile, so one tree will fruit. Planting Ravalli Quince nearby should improve crops, since quince pollenizes best with other quince.
How cold hardy is Aromatnaya Russian Quince?
We rate Aromatnaya Russian Quince hardy to zone 4, which means winters down to about -30°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.
How many chill hours does Aromatnaya Russian Quince need?
About 300 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 100 and 500. Nobody has published a chill figure for it, so that's our estimate from its relatives and origin. Quince needs little chill, roughly 300 hours. Winter cold, not chill, is the real limit for quince up north. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.
How big does Aromatnaya Russian Quince get?
We graft Aromatnaya Russian Quince onto OHxF 87 (semi-dwarf), which makes a tree roughly 14 to 19 ft tall if you never prune it.
What is Aromatnaya Russian Quince good for?
Our top use scores for Aromatnaya Russian Quince are cooking and roasting (8/10), jams and jellies (8/10), pies and baking (6/10), winter storage (6/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.
What arrives, and when does Aromatnaya Russian Quince ship?
A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 3-5 ft or 4-6 ft. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.
Is Aromatnaya Russian Quince disease resistant?
For some diseases, yes. It's resistant to quince leaf blight. It holds up moderately well against fire blight. Our unusual fruit disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.