This information is provided as a free service to viewers. We do not sell these plants.
Overview
Ranunculus asiaticus are cultivated for their richly colourful flowers which are many-petalled, usually double and bowl-shaped.
They are carried on stems up to 60 cm tall, swaying well above the foliage which is of a ragged appearance.
They grow from tuberous roots and are very easy to grow.
Very good in larger pots and planters but especially good in borders when planted en-masse in mixed colours.
Soil: Well drained fertile loam enriched with compost and a balanced, slow release fertiliser at planting time.
Maintenance: Ranunculus like to be well fertilised while growing with either a general purpose fertiliser or a specific bulb fertiliser. Composted animal manure is also good.
Water to keep just moist, not wet.
Do not let ranunculus plants become too dry, as this will cause the older leaves to die back quickly, leaving the plants looking rather straggly.
Flowering:
Kept adequately watered with a little fertiliser applied every month, the plants will produce flowers over a period of several months.
Ranunculus flowers are long lasting in the vase and should be picked when the flower heads have half unfurled from their tight bud stage.
Care after flowering:
With warmer temperatures in late spring, the plants will begin to die back.
The corms and tubers can be harvested and reused the next year, but the tubers available for sale are younger with more vigour and will give better results.
Diseases: Fungal diseases, powdery mildew
Slugs, snails and aphids
Other Species: There are some 400 species in the buttercup genus.
Comments: Name means little frog, from the wet places where many of the species prefer to grow.
Author: Bob Saunders.