How how I love a good Ranunculus!

Spring is loaded with so many new and exciting blooms. It's hard not to get excited with all of the lovely flowers that start blooming as each new week rolls along. I think most everyone gets excited about what spring offers-whether it's just the warmer weather, starting to plan that vegetable garden, or thinking of all the new flowers to add in an existing garden.

As spring comes into bloom here on the farm we seem somewhat overloaded with all the flowers coming into bloom-but that doesn't mean you will drive by the farm and always see them. We harvest flowers usually about twice a week and. they are usually harvested before much of the bloom is open so we can get the longest vase life for our customers.

One beauty I absolutely love is the lovely ranunculus. I was introduced to her about 5 years ago and I have never looked back. I remember the first year I ordered corms to plant. Corms are similar to a bulb but they look very different. Ranunculus corms look like octopus legs and are very identifiable.

Ranunculus are absolutely gorgeous in my book. They have a super long vase life of usually at least 2 weeks. Many people think they look like a rose and some of them have a light beautiful sweet scent. Ranunculus come in so many colors-really just a rainbow of colors. Some of them have tips that are different colors, some look like they have stripes, it seems like every year I see a new variety I am swooning over. And then there are butterfly ranunculus that have a slightly different vibe that I love (but their corm price is super expensive-this is the first year we have tried them so I am so hoping they do well). The butterflies have less petals but exude a light and airy texure that kind of make them look like they are dancing around the landscape or an arrangement.

I was so excited to try to grow ranunculus my first year flower farming-we had made one low tunnel (a long tunnel with clear plastic over it that covers it to the ground) to grow these beauties in because they do not like temps below 30 degrees or so. If the ground freezes that means so do the corms and then they rot and turn to mush. Rot means no ranunculus blooms. Needless to say I got some blooms but they weren't exactly what I had hoped for. The stems were very short and I had ordered corms that were not really a quality corm.

So I learned so many things about ranunculus that first season. What I learned most was that I was bound and determined to grow gorgeous ranunculus for me and my customers. So the second season we had another small low tunnel and the blooms did about the same but I learned a little more. Then, our third season we got a 30' x 96' high tunnel and that really was a game changer.

That year I found a better source for ranunculus corms and was able to grow an abundance of beautiful ranunculus blooms. I was amazed when I saw the stem length of the blooms-they were amazing. Growing them in a high tunnel is really the best way to get a longer stem length for our South Central Ky weather. But that doesn't mean you can't grow them too. You just need to do your homework and be ready to experiment to get the best blooms. Growing them without a high tunnel will mean that your stems won't be as long but that may not be important to you-you can still have gorgeous blooms.

Anybody can try growing them in a low tunnel by planting them in the fall (our hardiness zone is 6b/7a-it seems to change every few years and I can never remember without looking it up every single time). Growing them in a low tunnel will mean you will need to cover them with plastic and raise and lower the plastic as needed when the temps go up and down. Watering is important as well but if you overwinter them the water doesn't evaporate in cold weather like warm so you don't water as often. Overwintering just means you plant in fall or early winter and care for them over the winter. It is important to get them in the ground before it gets so cold that the corms could freeze. The low tunnel basically works like a green house. Buy a cheap outdoor thermometer to put in your low tunnel and that can help you track the temps to know if you need to add more cover like a frost cloth at night when the weather is cooler.

Airflow is important in the tunnels as well. Ranunculus can get powdery mildew so if the temp is over 35 degrees is it best to keep the tunnel open to allow for that airflow. Also the more the tunnel stays closed it warms up the environment inside and becomes they most perfect vacationing spot for several insects-one of which is the aphid which we always seem to find in our tunnel. Aphids are super tiny to start with and as they morph they become bigger and eventually have wings. And they come in the color of the rainbow-i've seen bright green and black ones mostly here at the farm. They pierce the juicy part of the plant and produce a sweet juice that ants will harvest from them. Ants truly farm aphids-they will aggressively defend these annoying sucking insects to the point of makin me crazy.

While I don't want aphids on our ranunculus, I also don't want to spray with pesticides or any chemicals. So how do you get them to go away. I spray water on them to remove some of them. You can also pick them off by hand. We also get beneficial insects like lacewing larvae and lady beetle larvae. These larvae are both beneficial insects and they are verocious eaters of aphids. Once you establish a healthy population of beneficial insects on your property it will help tremendously with not only the aphids but other insect critters that come to try to take over. Also consider that having an ant population is contributing to the aphid problem so you will want to research ways to get a handle on or get the ants away from your ranunculus.

Another option on growing them is presprouting them in the spring. To presprout, you just bury the corms in an inch or so of moist potting soil inside your house or whatever area you want to grow them. You can do several in any container and they can be close together-just check on them frequently because the roots will grow together if you don't and that becomes a pain to separate. You will want the temperature to be at least 50-60 degrees. Wait for the roots to start forming. You may see a sprout come from the top of the corm-but once you see roots you are ready It usually only takes a week or two and then they are ready to plant out. You want to presprout in early spring and plant out but you may still have to cover them with a frost cloth or something similar-you still have to protect the corms from freezing which can be a pain. Make sure the temperature is above freezing before you plant out. It a lot of work but these beautiful blooms are worth it!

We have grown the variety La Belle ranunculus in several colors-orange, lemon yellow, salmon, and white. We have also grown several colors in the Romance series-these are big gorgeous blooms as well but the corms are very expensive. This year we are trying some colors in the Amandine series-cream and dark orange as well as a blush and a pink. The cream is more like a creamy lemony yellow-very pretty. The pink I am swooning over. The dark orange is similar to the La Belle orange we have grown. We are still awaiting a blush to bloom, as well as a magenta and golden yellow-I'm excited to see how these do as well. We also added a butterfly ranunculus variety Lycia this year. It's a pink variety.

While these beauties may require thoughtful growing stradegies they are truly worth the work. Each spring when they start to bloom I am just smitten every time by their beauty. They make a lovely bouquet by themselves or when added to the abundance of other blooms that arrive in spring. If you find yourself smitten by ranunculus you can pick up a spring bouquet at the farm or the farmers market this spring. We usually have ranunculus the month of April so they don't stick around for long. Message us if you want a lovely bouquet with some of these beauties for your spring table!