'Candy Prince' Tulip Bulbs, Single Early

Tulipa Candy Prince

There aren't many sweets that are this colour, a gentle mauvey-lilac, but maybe the grower was thinking about the inside of a violet crème or some such exclusive treat when he named this tulip Candy Prince. The colour is not saccharine sweet but rather old-fashioned and accommodating so that you can imagine it waiting patiently to take over the reigns of power and never quite doing so. Not every tulip can be a scene stealer; we need the Candy Princes of this world for their discretion, diplomacy and royal bearing. Browse our other tulip bulbs.

A Court for the Candy Prince

As a reasonably stocky tulip, Candy Prince makes ideal material for urns and pots for your terrace or balcony. His leaves are also quite wide and almost encase the flower so that several together look substantial and negate the need for underplanting. Possibly Candy Prince's greatest charm is as a partner to other tulips. In the purple pallette suitable friends might be a hyacinth like Purple Prince (unbelievable but true) or Negrita and the wonderful double Blue Diamond to be succeeded by Allium Purple Sensation. Meantime a more playboy prince might pair up with Abba or Monte Carlo for real fun and games in the spring. In the garden, drifts of Candy Prince are very restful and can be repeated to bring cohesion to a spring garden. His mauve, simple flowers look splendid against feathery bronze fennel, or Cotinus coggyria or even the drumsticks of Euphorbia characias.

Features of Tulipa Candy Prince

• Height: 30-35 cm
• Colour: mauve
• Flowering time: mid-April
• Scent: none
• Group: Single Early
• Foliage: green

Ponderings on Candy Prince

Although we always think of candy as being the American word for sweets, in fact candy was used in the 13th Century in Middle English and was exported out to America in the 18th century to apply to any foods where the principal ingredient is sugar.