Illustration
Purple Prince
Malus 'Purple Prince'
Purple Prince blooms from April through May.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Purple Prince
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–8. Expect it to reach about 16 ft tall and 16 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 10 years (a house reading).
Is Purple Prince toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by NC State Extension.
- Listed as poisonous to people by NC State Extension.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Purple Prince
Plant Purple Prince in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 8, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from April to May.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Purple Prince get?
16 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult16 ftwideSee Purple Prince in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Purple Prince
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Purple Prince about 16 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add Purple Prince to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Purple Prince's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 10 published sources on October 23, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- conservationgardenpark.jvwcd.govConservation Garden Park (Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District)height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- jfschmidt.comJ. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.height, spread, hardiness zones, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Utah State University Extensionheight, spread, hardiness zones, water and bloom months and color
- campbellsnursery.comCampbell's Nurseryheight, spread, sun and bloom months and color
- Chicago Botanic Gardenhardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- The Morton Arboretumheight, spread, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Iowa State University Extensionand Outreachbloom months and color and trait tags
- treesandshrubsonline.orgInternational Dendrology Society, Trees and Shrubs Onlinebloom months and color
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxsun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Purple Prince
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Toxic to dogs, cats and horses: the seeds, stems and wilting leaves hold cyanogenic glycosides. The ripe flesh is not the hazard; the seeds and wilting foliage are. per ASPCA
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.