Time to Plant Ranunculus!
Sometimes I feel guilty for having a favorite flower, but if I had to pick one, it would be ranunculus! All of the fall planted bulbs are gorgeous: freesia, daffodils, Dutch iris, etc., but the ranunculus are amazing with their dozens of papery petals and brilliant colors. And like the other bulbs, they are great cut flowers. Here's what you need to know to grow them:
2. Where to buy - online bulb catalogs, nurseries or home improvement centers. Note that home improvement centers often only have bags of mixed colors. If you want single colors, check out nurseries which often have boxes of single colors of corms you can choose individually.
3. How to plant - They can be started in six packs or planted directly in the ground. To plant in six packs, fill clean six packs with potting soil and place one corm, pointy ends down about 1/2 inch deep, covering with soil. Transplant to garden when plants are 4-6 inches tall. To plant directly in the ground, prepare bed by adding soil amendment and fertilizer to soil, mix in well. Plant corms 1/2 to 1 inch deep. Water well, but do not keep soil soggy as bulbs may rot. It takes a couple of weeks for bulbs to sprout, depending on temperatures. Bait for snails, and if bunnies are a problem in your garden, protect young seedlings with tents of chicken wire.
Beautiful in pots or......
...in the garden with other flowers!
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