Tulipa Candy Prince

Tulipa 'Candy Prince' displays a narrow cup-shaped corolla in light lavender to mauve-pink. This novelty blooms early in the tulip season. It is perfect in bouquets and spring flower beds, and will soften brightly coloured flowers and enhance blooms with cream to sulphur-yellow tones.

Tulipa 'Candy Prince' belongs to the Liliaceae family. Of horticultural origin, it is a recent creation that is currently classified in Division 1 of tulips, whose main characteristic is early flowering. Of modest size, it reaches a height of 30cm (12in) when in bloom. The flowers sit at the top of sturdy stems, well above the broadly lanceolate leaves. The elegant narrow cup-shaped flowers display a subtle light mauve-pink colour. Flowering takes place in April, at the beginning of the tulip season.

Early single tulips are renowned for their wealth of colours, solid and resistant flowers, and suitability for both flower beds and bouquets. They are already among the most planted varieties. They are unmatched for bringing the colours of spring to pots or sunny gardens. When designing your flower beds, you must consider the height and flowering period of the tulips, as these parameters can vary significantly from one cultivar to another. It is wise to plant a few extra bulbs for bouquets, as they make beautiful long-lasting cut flowers in a vase.

About botanical species

Tulip species are found throughout most of the Old World, from Western Europe to China and Japan, including Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and Central Asia. Their distribution range also includes North Africa and the Indian subcontinent. The centre of diversity for the genus is in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains and the steppes of Kazakhstan.

There are various wild species, many of which are endangered. These include large adventive tulips from cultivated fields, the most well-known being the Agen tulip (Tulipa agenensis), as well as small tulips found in wooded areas or among rocks in the mountains. In cultivation, they are called "botanical tulips", and one of the most common is the wild tulip (T. sylvestris), which used to often grow sheltered by vines and whose subspecies, australis, is known as the southern tulip.