Remember to plant right-side up (fuzzy, pale, furry spot up, root tips down). Plant in 50-plug seedling flats or a similar seed-starting tray, about 1 inch deep, in a good-quality potting soil. Soak the corms overnight in a shallow tray of water they swell to many times their dry size. Then in late winter, about 3 months before you want them to bloom and 3 weeks before you can plant them out in the garden: Ranunculus in Cold Climates: In growing zones 3-6 or so, ranunculus need to spend the winter as dry little corms (as they arrive to you in the mail) in a cool, dry spot in your house, like the spot where you store your seeds not in the fridge or next to the furnace. If you pay attention to the type of garden spot and care they like (see “Choosing a Spot in Your Garden” above), they are quite similar in culture to most other bulbs in these warm growing zones and are likely to become perennial in a spot they like. They should be soaked in a shallow tray of water overnight before planting (they will swell many times the size they were when dry). Ranunculus in Warm Climates: In zones 7-11, they are planted in the ground in fall for late winter or early spring bloom. In cold climates with spring seasons that heat up into the high 70’s quickly, they also may need light shade or to be interplanted with taller plants (like peonies) ![]() ![]() In warm climates, they may need part shade Generally the root tips point down.Ĭhoosing a Spot in Your Garden Where They Will Thrive:Ī spot you can water regularly in dry spells after you plant them they hate drying out when they are first forming little roots and leaves ![]() Sometimes the corms still have some of last year’s stem or leaves, too. Important: Plant them Right-Side Up! The top of the corm is the fuzzy/furry, lighter portion where all the root “arms” come together (you can see this in the photo of the dry corms, above, especially on the one at bottom right that’s resting at the base of my pinkie finger). They are grown in colder climates with a few extra steps. Ranunculus are different than many spring bulbs (like daffodils and tulips) in that they are considered hardy only in zones 7 or 8 and south. It doesn’t make sense to me to buy flowers coming so far, if I can grow them in my own garden for at least a portion of the year. If I buy cut ranunculus flowers from the floral wholesaler, they sometimes come from Canada, but most of the time the flowers have been shipped in from South America or the Netherlands such a long journey is common for fresh flowers in our strange, globalized world (for more on this, check out the book Flower Confidential). Since I have strong local-sourcing ethic for my floral work, it’s super important to me to be able to provide these very popular, romantic flowers from my own garden for at least a portion of the weddings I work on each year. (Not available in winter 2021/2022 but may be back in future years). But, as you’ll read later, there are a number of steps to making them happy here! Because they multiply quickly when they’re happy, I sometimes have corms to share in fall and winter check the shop page for packs of ranunculus corms to grow yourself. When actively growing, they love the cool late spring and early summer weather we usually get where I live, in a frost pocket near the Canadian border. Ranunculus are a perennial species, adapted to last through hot, dry dormant periods by storing food in enlarged root structures. In my US zone 3/4 garden, I have found them to be one of the best cut flowers I grow, well worth the extra work they take here, where they are unlikely to survive a winter in the ground. However, like so many bulb-forming plants adapted to that region (did you know that many tulips and narcissus come from there?), they can be grown in many different climates depending on how much work the gardener is willing to do (Read on for my instructions!). ![]() These gorgeous, ephemeral blooms are native to the Mediterranean and Middle East, and are an early spring flower there, putting on most of their growth in the cool, damp winter months. Ranunculus: a perennially adored wedding and cut flower.
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