romantic ranculus

This is another puzzle from the vault that I made in March 2016 - well over 5 years ago. I love the soft frilly petals of ranunculus and the range of beautiful colours - they come in colors that range from cream and pale yellow to apricot, pink, orange, red and burgundy. They are very fleeting treasures in our part of the world and always remind me of the ballerina tutus in Swan Lake - layers of tulle and chiffon.

One of the surprising things is that they are a type of buttercup. Ranunculus grow from corms that resemble little claws. Large corms contain more stored food energy than small corms, and will give you a stronger plant with more flowers. Ranunculus should be grown in full sun. The plants dislike heat and hot temperatures, but they need lots of bright light every day. Plant ranunculus in beds and borders, cutting gardens and containers. They are good companions for other spring flowers such as primroses, pansies and larkspur.

In climates where ranunculus are not winter hardy (zones 4-7 - north of Utah to Virginia), the corms are usually planted in spring for flowers in late summer. In these areas, the most reliable way to grow ranunculus is to plant them in containers rather than in the garden. This helps to ensure proper drainage, and once the plants come into bloom, it's easy to move them around so they get noticed.

Enjoy this quote: “And then there was the expansive garden that ran the length of the rear of the house- lush with color and fragrances that seemed to burst from every branch and bloom. Whoever had designed it possessed a keen eye for beauty, each plant chosen with obvious care and an affinity for nature.
She'd even acquired a new cat from its depths, a stray orange tom she found wandering among the hydrangea bushes one morning. An offered dish of milk and he'd been her bosom beau ever since. She'd decided to call him Ranunculus because Buttercup was far too feminine a name for such a large and impressive male. She gazed at him now where he slept in the sunshine, basking like a small potentate in the heat of the day.”
― Tracy Anne Warren, Seduced by His Touch

Info from Longwood Gardens, New Jersey

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