papa wrote:

Could sombody give me the lowdown on the difference between C. speciosa
and C. japonica? They both look the same to me.

Quite often the plants are confused, but true Chaenomeles japonica has
rather dense, twiggy growth, which is often somewhat slender and
carries bowl shaped, variable but most frequently soft orange red
flowers to about 3 cms. across early in the year. C. speciosa is
larger and more vigorous in all of its parts with richer red flowers
to 4 or 5 cms+. The hybrid C x superba is a cross between both
species and is generally more vigorous than either parent with large
showy flowers.

HTH

Dave Poole
Torquay, Coastal South Devon UK
Winter min -2°C. Summer max 34°C.
Growing season: March - November