Flower Spotlight: Ranunculus

Ranunculus flowers, also called Persian Buttercups, provide stunning blooms in early spring when the weather is still chilly and moist. Boasting a mass of chiffon-like petals, the multicolored flowers are always a favorite for spring weddings and floral arrangements.



These beautiful stems were brought to me by a sweet neighbor who knows how much I enjoy the art of flowers. They were grown by Kelley Flower Farm , and I am dazzled by the quality and color of these unique ranunculus varieties- so dazzled in fact, that I've been researching how to grow them in my own home garden next spring!  In my efforts to learn more, I found some excellent ranunculus resources to share.



Every fall,  I usually purchase a few new varieties of flower bulbs to try in the garden from Erin Benzakien's Floret Flower Farm in Washington.  In addition to many amazing varieties of flowers, she also provides extensive educational resources on her website, like this tutorial about how to grow ranunculus.  She is also the author of Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden, which is reviewed in this post.

Another great resource is Garden Design's post How to Grow Your Own Ranunculus which includes a buying guide, planting tips and ideas for using ranunculus in the garden and in floral arrangements.



The Gardenista website also adds an interesting twist to the discussion of this flower by including background on its mythology in the post "Ranunculus:  The Little Frog".   Apparently, ranunculus means "little frog" in Latin as it often grows near bodies of water.  According to Gardenista, legend also has it that the original Asian myth (upon which the Western fairy tale of the Frog Prince was based) stated that the prince was turned into a ranunculus instead of a frog.  Fascinating...