6 Jun 2019

Ranunculus: A buttercup by any name

Pink and white Ranunculus flowers edging a gravel path


I'm a real sucker for those bags of bulbs that drop into the shops in autumn. When there's daffodils, tulips, grape hyacinths and anemones to look forward to in spring, the winter months almost dwindle away.  It's the promise of all that colour after the monochrome of winter.



On a whim last year I bought a pack of 25 Ranunculus corms just because I've never grown them before and have always admired them as cut flowers.  I can't remember where I got them from but wouldn't have paid much - £2 a bag?  I really should keep a note of these things.

Rear view of yellow and cream Ranunculus flowers growing next to terracotta pots


I'd dug out an area for a border which, at that time, was earmarked for cut flowers.  The middle was already filled with tulip bulbs so I made a shallow trench along each side and popped the corms in - about 6 inches apart, I think, although I probably used the length of my dibber as a measure. (I now know that the RHS advises 8cm/3 inches apart. This would help to keep the flower stems upright. Hindsight.) And then I netted over the top because, well, foxes and cats do love a patch of freshly turned earth.

As usual, I set out all my bulbs (tulips included) appallingly late in mid-January so had no idea what might happen, if anything. (Late autumn is the better time for planting.) Expectations were low but, serendipitously, I couldn't have planned it better.  As spring arrived, the garden filled with the usual snowdrops and hellebores, with little Iris reticulata, muscari and primulas joining in later. Then, as those faded out, the tulips took centre stage. I had tulips flowering throughout April and May, and ranunculus will neatly segue into that by flowering May to July.  How fab is that?

A row of Ranunculus flowers in all shades

But the colours! Wowzers.  Every time I see them, another brighter, deeper colour combo has appeared.  The first flowers opened as a pale lime green so I thought I was in for a show of pastel coloured flowers. Nope.  The next to open was orange, then deep pink, red, burgundy, white and yellow - all set against a backdrop of fading pink and purple tulips.

Someone on Instagram asked me if they were perennial.  I didn't know but after a bit of research I'm fairly confident that answer is yes, but short lived. (Maybe two years? I'll update when I know.)  And I can cut a few stems for my desk which will encourage more blooms.  Always a scary one, that; I don't want to scalp the garden of colour.

I was also unsure whether the flowers were good for pollinators, something I forgot to check before buying the corms. I haven't seen much activity around the flowers so far but saw this hoverfly on a yellow ranunculus this morning. Of course, it might just have been having a rest.

Hoverfly insect resting in the centre of a pale yellow Ranunculus flower


Finally, it wasn't until I googled the subject that I realised that these flowers are related to the buttercups that I love to see growing in the grass. Both belong to the botanical Ranunculaceae family, although the flowers that I've grown are more closely related to the Persian buttercup - Ranunculus asiaticus.  Word of warning: they're all poisonous so definitely not edible flowers!

Ranunculus blooms edging a gravel path in the cutting garden

8 comments:

  1. I have often wondered how to grow them, yours are certainly a success, I might be tempted this autumn!

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    1. Definitely have a go, Pauline! I've just deadheaded the first flowers so if they repeat flower, I'll be on the lookout for more bulbs this autumn. I think they might be best planted in between other later flowering plants so the fading (and possibly tatty) leaves don't detract from the overall look of the garden.

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  2. I love the burgundy one. the problem with growing cut flowers is that it is a wrench to cut them isn't it?

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    1. My favourite too, Sue. I can never bring myself to cut flowers, even when grown for that purpose. I usually content myself with a few broken stems and foliage from tidying!

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  3. I'm with Sue, it's so hard to cut them as they flower for so long. I love them and yours are all just gorgeous!xxx

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    1. Thanks, Dina - the colours are fab, aren't they! I love it when people say how lovely the garden is looking - they wouldn't say that if all the flowers were in a vase indoors!! xxx

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  4. How fabulous Caro. What a great spread of colours. I especially like the deep wine coloured one. I wish that I had had better luck with my first attempt at growing ranunculus. It has has resulted in the paltry total of one which is still ages off from flowering. Will definitely try again though :)

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    1. Wow, I'm flummoxed, Anna. I'm wondering what I did to get good results - I think the soil may be quite good in this garden as it wasn't worked for many years, plus it's under three very mature lime trees so has benefitted from the leaf litter naturally composting. I also threw a bag of municipal compost onto the border as a mulch before planting the tulips and ranunculus corms. Does any of that help? Oh yes, I also have a hosepipe in this garden so was able to water the plants during the (very rare) hot and dry spells this year. Also, the bulbs went in rather late so didn't have to survive through winter chills. Would be lovely if you have another go, these are fab flowers in a vase! x

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