Try a medlar instead. Known to be damp-tolerant, often quite low and spreading in habit. REAL old-timey, too: was being grown on this continent by 1735.

Both will get above 7 ft. but of the two I think the medlar will be less likely to arch up above your cutoff in short order, as well as be bothered by the dampness.

bboy:

Thanks for the suggestion. I googled medlar, not many pictures of the tree, but the fruit...I don't know man, does it look better in person?

"arching up in short order" is not a deal killer for me. I had also considered making a raised bed to get the Quince roots up a little from the winter wet.

A friend of mine has a Quince tree which is doing quite well here on Vancouver Island. Her yard is slightly sloped, so a raised bed might just do the trick for you. She gets loads of fruit every year, makes great jelly.

A......

In my experience, medlar will get bigger than quince. Both have beautiful spring flowers. The fruit on the quince is a bit more usable, tho some like medlar (I like it in Christmas wreaths...). I have 2 quince trees, one is planted near the edge of a wetland- never standing water but certainly saturated in winter, and seems to do fine.

Pears are recommended as a comparatively moisture tolerant orchard fruit, are also grafted onto quince so that may carry an implication. I don't know.

In Seattle the tallest measured medlar is 16 1/2 ft. high, the tallest known quince 15 ft. Edible plant aficionado A.L Jacobson says in Trees of Seattle - Second Edition (Self-published, 2006) that the fruit of the medlar tree is "luscious", "yielding delicious applesauce if squeezed" but also notes that "Detractors liken the contents to diarrhea and several European names suggest as much."

The fruit of the common quince tree Jacobson seems to find less interesting (as a food item): "When unripe it's like a lemony bar of soap. When ripe it is usually eaten only cooked, or preserved in confections such as marmalade."

One time I drove an elderly friend down to the Seattle arboretum to gather some of the fallen fruits from beneath the large old medlar tree there (the same one that is 16 1/2 ft. high) so he could make sauce/jam from them. I think I was given a sample of the result, and that it resembled apricots in flavor. While you'd think I would have tasted quince jelly at some point, guess it didn't make a lasting impression - I don't remember it.

My quince tree is on level ground in heavy clay and bears loads of fruit. The fruit is not much more work that apples to prepare, but it must be cooked. Medlar fruit is much more work. It would take a lot of pruning to keep a quince tree under 10 feet. Mine is on semi-dwarf rootstock and it is about 12 feet tall after 10 years.

Thanks for all the responses everybody. 12 feet after ten years sounds reasonable to me.

You've gotten plenty of terrific information, that's for sure. I've planted culinary quince and medlars, at each of my gardens here in Seattle (I'm on #3, all in West Seattle) and both would be reasonable choices so just pick what you like. All of the quinces and medlars that I've planted are still standing despite moderate to no care from subsequent owners (yes, I "spy" by driving by every few months).

Not being much of a cook, I definitely get more use out of medlars because I like the fruit fresh; quince usually need to be cooked etc., though I do occasionally eat them fresh after they've been sitting around awhile (a long while). I think medlars are really fun, and tasty. But obviously, I'm unable to choose between the two since I've planted at least one of each at each garden I've started (I usually get both the quince and the named-variety medlars from Raintree nursery).

Keep us updated on your choice(s)!
Take care,
Grant

Christianson's has some potted specimens of a named medlar cultivar that are over head-high but not very expensive. I may get one for the Camano place when I figure out where it's going (deer have become a problem, last visit I saw pellets near the house).

The Medlar is in my opinion the finer looking tree. The elongated, dark-green leaves surrounding the single white flowers have a sharper appearance than those of the dull, hairy, and looser Quince. Better fall color, too. Have you ever seen the 'Hunting of the Unicorn' tapestries at the Cloisters? Look for the Medlar flowers in the background. Real Quince trees are planted in the museum's courtyard, however.

You can usually find quinces at specialty markets, but if you like the taste of medlar fruit, you've got to grow your own. They are both tough trees. Taste them both, then decide.

I adore stewed quince sweetened with honey. But I am intrigued by medlar now.

Here in New Zealand we are lucky to ever see a few quince for sale in organic food stores. The growers just don't grow them. Most people don't even know what they are, which is pretty sad. And as for medlars,...well, I've never seen one, and no-one I know has either.

I just put up 5 pints of quite hauntingly lovely quince jelly and this is the last year I'm buying from the store! This spring I plant my own quince tree. What varieties have you who have your own tree found best? I'm in a largish city garden in Portland, Oregon. I would strongly prefer one of the varieties that cooks to red or pink rather than remaining yellow. Thanks!

Thought I'd share some pics of the beautiful medlar in my garden.

Here is a link that might be useful: Medlar Tree: Photos

We've now had a quince cultivar purchased from Raintree nursery that has been studded with fruit for at least two years, although this year there are not nearly as many as last. Only problem has been breakage of branches under a heavy cropping one year.

We have yet to do anything with them.

When I'm lucky enough to get my hands on some quince the first thing I make is a couple of batches of Paradise Jelly. Quince, apples and cranberries cooked together then strained through a jelly bag over night, lots of recipes on the net. We have this instead of cranberry jelly with chicken or turkey, nice with other meats too. Unfortunately my source has dried up, not too many people grow quince around here and I have never seen it for sale :(.

i've used a single quince fruit as a car air freshener. lasted about a month in there (this time of year, the car is mostly at fridge temperature). smelled AMAZING.

I like the idea but wonder about attracting rodents into the vehicle. Particularly wharf rats.

Hi.! I'm from Chile, I'm leaving a 30 minutes of Seattle, and I'd like to eat a fruit that I used to eat in Chile. It's quince.. I don't know if it sold here, and in what places. I love how it smell and taste.. I'll be waiting for answers ..

This one's in the West Central Park in Olympia.

Many of the fruits do have disease on them that have ruined about half of them, causing many to partially crack open (though you can't see it in the picture).

The park also has a small 'Aromatnaya' tree (not pictured), a variety that's known to be slightly more disease resistant in wet conditions (and also has more tender milder fruit too than your typical quince).

Quince fruit is prone to cracking when full-sized, the crack area may rot or it may dry out. The fruit is still usable. Brown rot is quite common also.

Skipley Farm in Snohomish WA grow quince. Several varieties. They are upick. They also sell trees as well as hundreds of varieties of apple trees.
What I know about cracking is that our dry summers and wet fall (when they finally ripen) causes splitting - especially on young trees that don't have their roots developed. pH of 6.5 should also help.