Let It Grow
By Tammy Thornton
After a long, cold winter, we are all ready for some color in our gardens. But March and April can be a roller coaster of unpredictable weather. We get lured into thinking spring has arrived with warm days approaching 70, only to be crushed by freezing temperatures the following evening. Many perennials in the garden lie dormant, waiting for consistently warm days before they will wake up and bloom, and most annuals would never survive the cold temperatures of late winter and early spring. Fortunately, you can plant vibrant colorful flowers in your garden that look like a summer day, but thrive in cool temperatures. Ranunculus to the rescue!
When you see ranunculus asiaticus for the first time, you won’t believe something with such an odd name can be so incredibly beautiful. It’s one of the first flowers I seek when the garden nurseries open for the new season. They come in vibrant colors of red, yellow, orange, and pink. Ranunculus are also known by their more exotic name, Persian buttercups, which seems to capture their essence much better. But don’t be fooled by their beauty; these are tough flowers that laugh at the cold. Though they are happiest with temperatures in the 50s, ranunculus plants can survive a light frost. They are generally hardy in gardening zones 8-10, but last year, I was delighted to see one of my plants come back to life from the previous spring, though we in South Jersey are in zone 7. This past winter was a bit harsher, so I don’t know if I will see that beautiful friend return this year.
Though it’s easiest to buy a blooming ranunculus from your local gardening nursery, you may want to try your hand growing them from corms (similar to planting bulbs, but much uglier). In gardening zones 8-10, the corms can be planted in the fall for early spring blooms. But in growing zones 4-7, they most likely will not survive temperatures below 25 degrees. In these colder zones, you will want to plant corms in late winter. When you purchase the ranunculus corms they will look like a dried up sea creature with legs. Soaking them for a few hours in room temperature water will wake them up and encourage them to sprout. They will swell to almost twice their size. Plant them “legs” down in a sunny location with well drained soil, since they are prone to rot if the soil is too wet. You can expect the first flowers in about 90 days with blooms continuing until the weather is consistently hot. Ranunculus flowers are long-lasting and make beautiful bouquets for cut flowers, lasting about ten days.
Ranunculus make great companion plants with other cool-season flowers such as daffodils, pansies, and candytuft. Mixed together in a pretty gardening pot, these spring bloomers will chase away the winter blues. Once temperatures are consistently in the 70s, ranunculus will go dormant, because they do not like the heat. You can simply treat them as annuals, enjoying them while they last. But if you are lucky, you might get a surprise the next spring, and your beautiful friend might return to see you again.
Shore Local News would love to hear about your favorite spring flowers. Send your pictures, comments, or questions to shorelocalgardener@gmail.com
Tammy Thornton is a mom of four, a substitute teacher, and a Sunday school teacher. She is passionate about gardening and cooking, and loves the beach.
