Ranunculus Flowers – Caring for the Colorful Blooms

The beautiful ranunculus flowers bloom in March or in June and July depending upon when their tubers are planted. The suitable season for these flowers to blossom is mild winters and cool springs.

Ranunculus Flowers – Vivid Blossoms

The chief appeal of these ranunculus flowers are their brilliant colors like gold, pink, red, rose, salmon, sunset orange, white and yellow. These flowers have very delicate fine petals in multiple layers. They can be potted and kept indoors and the cut flowers last for a long period of time. The ranunculus flowers usually bloom on 12 to 18 inches stem and dry up after six weeks. Ranunculus plants grow best in South and West regions like California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana that are known for mild winters and long cool springs. These flowers can be poisonous and the cattle or other livestock can suffer from bloody diarrhoea, blistered mouth, excessive salivation, etc., if they accidently eat them.

Ranunculus Bulbs – Different Sizes

Ranunculus plants come out from claw shaped bulbs called the tubers. The ranunculus bulbs are of four sizes. The largest ones are called jumbos, which are 7-8 centimeters in circumference and diameter of about 7/8 inches. Number one, twos and threes ranunculus bulbs are smaller in size, the circumference measuring 6-7 centimeters, 5-6 centimeters and 3-4 centimeters, respectively. Each jumbo bulb produces approximately 35 flowers while the number one, twos and threes usually produce about 20, 10-12 and 7-8 flowers, respectively. It is advisable to plant jumbo bulbs in pots whereas the number twos and threes are good options for bulk planting. The tubers are planted with the pointed end downwards about 1-2 inches deep in a well drained soil.

Ranunculus Season – Mild Winters

The mild winters and cool springs are best suited for the ranunculus blooms. A temperature of 55 degrees F is ideal for these flowers. They bloom in March if they blossom from Fall planted bulbs or in June and July if they come out from the Spring planted bulbs. These plants cannot thrive in warm and wet seasons and can start rotting. The cool soil during the fall and early spring protects the bulbs from becoming soggy and decaying. Adding mulch such as bark, coco hulls and straw and trimming encourages blooming of flowers. The foliage should not be cut after the ranunculus season is gone. They should be watered timely without making the soil wet. In summers, leaves wither and fall but in the spring season they bloom again.