Candy Corn Plant Plant Care – Plus Different Types of Candy Corn Plants

The common name of this pretty perennial says it all – candy corn plant has blooms that look quite similar to the popular candy that we love to eat in the fall!

It wouldn’t be fall without a candy corn martini, or a candy dish or two loaded with candy corn. Good news for gardeners – we can enjoy candy corn in our garden too!

This plant is the perfect choice to add to your garden for Halloween. It makes a great Halloweeen plant because of its colors.

The following guide discusses candy corn plant care, from planting, watering, and sunlight needs to propagate tips. You’ll also learn about the different types of candy corn plants.

What is Cuphea micropetala?

This variety of the candy corn plant is a member of the Cuphea genus of plants. It is native to Mexico. The family includes over 250 perennials and shrubs that are found in tropical and temperate regions.

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Candy corn plant care at a glance

Here is a quick guide to the care of candy corn plants:

• Common name: Candy corn plant, candy corn vine
• Botanical name: Cuphea micropetala
• Family: Lythraceae
• Plant type: Tropical perennial
• Sunlight needs: Full sunlight
• Soil requirements: Average, well-draining soil
• Watering needs: About 1 inch of water per week
• Mature size: 3-4 feet tall and 2 feet wide
• Bloom time: Summer through fall
• Flower color: Bi-colored orange and yellow
• Humidity needs: Moderate to high humidity
• Temperature needs: Minimum temperature of 50°F (10°C)
• Hardiness zones: USDA 8-11 

Tips for growing candy corn plants

These easy-care plants with the fun colors of candy corn are a delight in the garden. They need plenty of sunlight and very little care during the growing season.

Sunlight needs for this tender perennial

• Grow candy corn plants in full sunlight to get the most flowers.
• You can grow Cuphea micropetala in a more shaded spot, but you won’t get as many flowers.

When to plant candy corn plant

• Plant this tropical perennial in the spring after the danger of any frost has passed.
• The plant likes average, well-draining soil with a slightly acidic pH of 5.5 to 6.5. 

Fertilizing the plant is not necessary and can result in lots of leaves but fewer flowers. Candy corn plant does benefit from a dose of compost around the plants in the spring.

How often should I water Cuphea micropetala?

• After planting, water the young plants regularly to get them established.
• Once they are acclimated to your garden, the plant needs about 1 inch of water a week!
• Cuphea micropetala will not tolerate wet soil.

Size of mature specimens

• Candy corn plant is a shrubby plant that can reach heights of up to 3-4 feet tall with a 2-foot spread at maturity.
• The plant has an arching and clumping habit and is rounded in shape.

Flowers and foliage of the candy corn plant

• Bright orange and yellow flowers that remind us of candy corn.
• The flowers of Cuphea micropetala are tubular and 1 to 3 inches long.
• The plant has narrow leaves on upright red stems.
• Bloom time is summer through fall. 

The common name candy corn plant is due to the fact that the flowers are bi-colored, orange near the stem and yellow towards the tips – just like the popular candy.

Hardiness zones for candy corn plant

• The plant grows as a perennial in warm weather hardiness zones 8 to 11.
• It can be grown as an annual in cooler climates.
• In the warm hardiness zones, the candy corn plant is often grown as an evergreen shrub.
• In these zones, the plant typically will die back when temperatures drop to the 20s and will recover in late spring as the temperatures start to rise again. 
• The minimum outdoor temperature is 50°F (10°C).

Propagating cuphea micropetala

Getting new plants for free is always a pleasant gardening experience. Luckily, there are several ways to get more candy corn plants for your own garden or to share with a friend.

• Candy corn plants are propagated by division.
• Cuphea micropetala can be grown from leaf and stem cuttings.
• You will have the best luck with softwood cuttings taken from plants in the spring.
• Make a cutting about 4 inches long on a stem with no flowers and insert the stem into moist potting soil.
• Keep the cutting in a shady location and be sure it is kept evenly moist until roots develop. This can take about 6 weeks.
• For gardeners who like to grow plants from seed, collect seed heads when the flowers fade and allow them to dry.

Uses in the garden

Grow cuphea micropetala in all sorts of garden settings, from rock gardens to cottage gardens. The plant is great in a cutting garden and the showy tubular flowers attract butterflies as well as pollinating insects.

If you don’t get much rain in your garden, you will love candy corn plant. Once established, it is quite drought tolerant. It also does not mind dry soil and low humidity.

The plant is nice used as mass plantings, as a border plant and in small groups.

Candy corn plant can also be grown in containers as a patio plant. It usually grows too large to be useful as an indoor plant. 

Varieties of candy corn plants

Cuphea micropetala is closely related to several other plants with similar flowers. Some belong to the same family and others are another species, entirely. Here are the differences.

Cuphea ignea

The variety Cuphea ignea, also known as cigar plant, has a similar size and flower shape as candy corn plant. The main difference between the two is the flower color.

At first glance, one might think the plants are the same, but look again! The cigar flower looks more like a burning ember at the tip of the flower, with a warm red color but no color hues like those found in the candy corn plant.

Manettia luteorubra

The plant should also not be confused with candy corn vine – manettia luteorubra.

Although the flowers are quite alike in these two plants, the candy corn vine comes from an entirely different species with a much different growth habit. It is native to South America.

Manettia luteorubra is a vining plant that is suitable as a ground cover or used for climbing a trellis. The vines can grow to 15 feet long.

Moullava spicata

Large and robust, Moullava spicata has branches that have curved prickles on them. The colorful flowers come in dense spikes at the end of the branches.

The flowers are scarlet and yellow, but they do not fully open. This plant is native to India and is also known as candy corn plant.

To me, this variety looks very much like our favorite candy!

Cuphea melvilla

If you live in chillier locals, Cuphea melvilla is a variety that can take slightly cooler temperatures – down to zone 7a.This variety has the same tube shaped flowers that open up like firecrackers along the branching stems. The plant is semi woody and can grow up to 4 feet tall with an equal spread.

Wagatea spicata

Another vining variety, Wagatea spicata also has the common name candy corn plant. It can grow to 8-10 feet tall. The plant has spines or sharp edges so caution should be taken when when handling.

This vine is a prolific bloomer that has flowers from late spring to late fall. This climbing candy corn plant has large marble-sized seeds on woody stems which really have the look of candy corn when the yellow color pokes through.

Where to buy candy corn plants

If you live in the warmer hardiness zones 8 -11, you may be lucky to find your plant locally at a garden center, your local Farmer’s Market, or one of the big box stores.

For those who live in cooler climates, you can purchase candy corn plants online at various retailers.

• Find candy corn plant – cuphea micropetalata – on Etsy.
• Purchase cigar plant – cuphea ignea –  on Etsy.

Whichever candy corn plant you choose, the blooms are the perfect way to bring the color of candy corn to your garden each year. Now, if only they would actually grow candy corn, they would be the perfect all-around plant!

Share this guide to candy corn plant care on X

If you enjoyed learning how to grow and care for candy corn plants, why not share this guide with a gardening friend?

🍬🌿 Looking for a plant with a sweet twist? Candy corn plants bring bright, candy-colored blooms to your garden or containers! 🧡💛❤️ Learn how to care for this eye-catching plant and discover 6 varieties to grow. 🌼 #CandyCornPlant… Share on X

Pin these tips for growing Cuphea micropetala for later

Would you like a reminder of these tips for growing a candy corn plant? Just pin this image to one of your flower boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

You can also watch the video on YouTube.

Admin note: This guide to candy corn plant care first appeared on the blog in September 2020. This post has been updated with new photos, a printable care tipscard, and a slideshow video about growing the candy corn plant.

 

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