Have Any of You Successfully Grown RANUNCULUS??

Hi -

I have never grown ranunculus, but I want to and accidentally forgot to include them in my fall bulb order. I understand they can be planted in the spring, given that they get at least 6 weeks of cool weather, but I'm not sure if they'd even grown in my area (zone 6).

Any growing tips/advice for these gorgeous flowers?

Thanks!

~ Tasha

Check out this site:

http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/ranunculuses.html

WOW! What a great site!!

Thanks so much, Tommy!

That is a great site, but I couldn't find a link to send him a message, I hope he reads Dave's Garden: Wayne - thank you for an amazing job chronicling ranunculus and other plants, too.

Wondering if Wayne ever sleeps. Such a wide variety of interests!

I love Ranunculus. I plant them by the hundreeds every year.

I hope that this year they will come back.
We had such record low temperature here.

He's turned his email off for the moment. You could check back periodically to see if he's turned it back on: http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/email.htm

I just recently planted 150 ranunculus in pots and around my pond. There are no signs of growth yet, but hopefully soon. They are not hardy for me here, so they will have to be brought indoors come late fall. But none the less, a stunning plant.

I am very sad to give you this news.
So far only ONE ranunculus flower came up !!
I planted so many bulbs last year and I cannot see any leaves in those areas !
Normally ALL my Ranunculus are blooming already !! I have added more every year and I usually I have a carpet of flowers!
I think the Super-Bowl storm really killed them. Here in Dallas we never been for 4 days below freezing.
My poor bulbs !!!
oooohhhhh

I have tried them so many times and have never been successful. A shame as they are such stunning flowers, just unreal.

drthor- Those pictures are increadable. I sure do hope they do come back for you.

I have never been able to groew them here in 8b. Too bad, they are so pretty.

From my own experience, when I interplanting Ranunculus with my Fall-planting Tulips, they did great. But just one year. Subsequent year I've to replant them (just like most Tulips). Last year I goofed off. I had two packages of them tucked away in the garage. I just found them. So I went ahead and planted them this morning. Yes, today. lol. I'll post any pics. if there is any success planting them this late.

I had no problem 5 years in a row, the old bulbs and new ones always popped up.
This year I see just a few of the older one.
I think it was way to cold for so long here in Dallas ...

drthor, the last 2 winters were exceptionally rough for us Southerners. I have had subtropical planting that survived outdoor for me for years. Until 2009 and 2010 wintry weather arrived. Grrrrrr!

I have one clump of Ranunculus (planted in the bed) this year. And that was cheating; I bought the flowers in blooms and planted them several weeks ago. lol

Very nice.
I just miss my Ranunculus at this time of the year ...

Ranunculus are just perfect to cover all the daffodils leaves that need to turn brown !!

I planted them last year in a container as corms? tubers? bulbs? what are those little brown things?. They bloomed beautifully in June or July. The foliage has come back in the pot, and I would expect them to bloom again here the same time. Which I find to be very odd---I think of it as a spring plant----this is the time of year all of the nurseries sell the blooming ones. Yet, if you plant it yourself , around here the natural outdoor bloom time is summer. I understand that the nurseries are using greenhouses to assist, but I find it interesting. It is one of my favorite flowers. I can't help but buy them as blooming plants every year and treat them as annuals, in addition to my own attempt at planting the corms last year. This year, I paired orange ranunculus with purple alyssum in pots. That is my pic. The alyssum I started from seed indoors---easiest thing ever to start from seed inside, and I will never purchase it again! (I tried direct sowing it last year as rec'd on the seed packets----got nothing.) Blueberries and cream mix from John Scheeper's.

I'm getting a greenhouse in a couple of weeks. I think ranunculus is something I will start in there this fall, and see what I get come spring. I think it must not be winter hardy here, so that is why the brown things are sold here in spring. Then they bloom in summer. But in a warmer climate, it should behave naturally as it does in Texas. Plant in fall, bloom in spring, that sort of thing. So I will try and create those conditions in my greenhouse.

Very very nice. Your Ranunculus bulbs should grow for you Lily Love. They are the exception in that the bulbs are still good for as much as 9-12 months. I always soak my bulbs for 24 hours to "wake them up" before planting. They will swell up while they soak and they seem to pop up above the ground quicker. Took this photo Saturday of some "Tecolote Ranunculus" out front. Our continuous spell of above normal temps is going to cut their bloom period short this year. They are winding down already and its usually May 1st before that happens here. They seem to do best in areas where you have a long continuous period of mild temperatures. Oct-Mar is mild here and that 6 month period gives you plenty of time to work with.

If anyone is considering growing either the "Bloomingdale Series" or "Mache Series" of seed grown Ranunculus I recommend the "Bloomingdale" Ranunculus. Have grown both of them and the Bloomingdale variety was more vigorous and bloomed better. "Mache" was somewhat disappointing this winter.

oohhhh
very sad season for my Ranunculus here in Dallas.
Just few of the one I planted in the fall came out .... ooooohhhhhhaaaahhhh
I guess it was really too cold this year for those babies ....

Sorry to hear that. That long cold spell probably was the reason. What you do have is beautiful. That's a great shade of lemon yellow. Are you going to buy new ones and attempt them again this coming fall?

well ... since I am a bulbholic and cannot resist to buy bulbs ... I think I will buy more.
What I may try to do is to start the bulb/ryzome opn a 4" pot in the back porch and take them inside in case of cold weather. I might try this next year ...

I grew a bunch of them in pots over this winter. Those ones did not grow/bloom as well as the in the ground bulbs. I have no idea why, but thought I'd share my experience. The bulbs are not that expensive so its definitely worth trying them again.

I got impatient and decided to dig up one of the 50 in the ground and one of the 96 in pots. Those in the ground are showing root growth with white fibrous roots shooting out. The ones in pots have a lot of root growth and growing tips starting. I'm super excited.

That's great. I get the feeling you gotta start them as early as the ground can be worked up North. Apparently they can handle frosts so you could start them before your last frost date(s). Hope they have plenty of time to grow and bloom before it gets super hot.