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the ranuncu-low down

Sent: Mar 10, 2024

the ranuncu-low down

Hey there! Team Farmgirl here. A quick simile. Spring is to flowers what summer is to food. That farmer’s market overrun with peaches and nectarines and cherries (oh my) come June, July and August? We’re just getting into that same metaflorical horn of plenty this time of year. What starts with paper whites and daffodils and tulips gives way to Farmgirl favorite, spring darling, little sister to the peony: ranunculus. You know them, we love them, and if the annual stampede to get our Ranuncu-love bouquet delivered to y’all’s doorsteps is any indication, the feeling is mutual from all of you as well. And just in case you’re expecting a delivery of a bunch of these buttercups of your own, we’ve put together a few of our top tips and tricks for the care and styling of these extra photogenic cut stems. Let’s get to it! How does your garden grow? One common misconception about ranunculus is that, like many of their spring vase mates, they’re bulb flowers, when really they occur as corms. It’s a funny sounding word - and, we promise you, looks even funnier in person (picture bananas ready for banana bread making) - but for the average non-gardener/grower the differences are minimal. Both bulbs and corms are essentially underground stems and are planted like seeds during specific times of year according to the hardiness of the flower they’ll produce and the weather where they’re being planted.

Ranunculus can grow in a wide range of climates - as cool as zones 3/4 and up to zones 9/10. In warmer climates the corms can be planted ahead of winter. In cooler they’ll need to be protected in order to survive the chillier temperatures. If you’re planning on going all green thumb and growing your own ranunculus, we cannot overstate the resource that a local nursery will become. A quick google search will give you details on the closest one to you. So many of the folks that work there are not just employees but avid gardeners themselves and will be all too happy to offer advice on how to get started. Regardless of who is growing them, as we said before ranunculus are another one of our favorite signs of spring, generally popping up sometime after Valentine’s Day depending on the weather. That said, it’s possible to see them as early as January, and even earlier if they’ve been grown with some additional interventions (e.g. hoop houses). Typically the season will run into April and, if we’re lucky, as late as May.

Fun fact: these prolifically petaled stems take their name from their blooming season. “Rana” means frog in Latin while “unculus” is a suffix that forms the diminutive form of a noun (think -ita or -ito in Spanish). These “little frogs” are thought to have been named for their tendency to pop up near water sources this time of year, much the same as their hoppy namesakes.

Category Is… Belong to the Ranunculaceae (or, less mouthful-y, buttercup) family, ranunculus are in good company with some other Farmgirl favorites. The flowers from this category have more main character energy, with higher petal counts and foliage that runs up the stems. Hellebore, clematis, and be-still-our-heart anemones all also belong to the buttercup family. Within the ranunculus category itself, there are many variants. From Aazur, to Elegance, to Pon Pon, to Cloni, the petal count, bloom size, petal shape, and color vary to produce a bloom that gives peonies as run for their money in terms of who is most photogenic. The 1,2,3s of TLC As far as the usual suspects go at Farmgirl, ranunculus tend to be one of the heartier varieties you can care for at home. The general rules still apply, of course - keep your stems away from direct light and heat, make sure your vase is clean before styling, and change the vase water daily - or as often as you can. With good care ranunculus should definitely last a week and with excellent care some recipients may enjoy between 10 - 12 days of vase life!

When prepping your stems for the vase it’s important to remove any foliage that will fall below the water line. Fully submerged in water these leaves will die and cause a premature proliferation of bacteria in the vase water that will prevent your flowers from getting a fresh drink. You’ll find that the foliage is easy to pull away - it reminds us a little of what you’ll see on celery stalks. Just pull up away from the stem and it should come off easily. If you’re in doubt or if the stem seems particularly fragile, you can use your floral shears to remove as well - just snip the leaf off close to where its growing off the stem. One other thing to note about ranunculus is their tendency to produce laterals. Depending on their size and location on the stem we may process (that’s a fancy floral word for remove) these from the stem prior to sending - or we may leave them on. They’re usually categorized by the tiny, green bud at the top of them. If your stems arrive with these on and you don’t care for the look of them you can remove them much the same as the foliage! If you like their look (and we do!), you can leave them on or remove them and style them separately with a more fully bloomed stem or two in a bud vase. The greener buds will not open or bloom the same way as their colorful counterparts, but we love the whimsy and movement they add to arrangements! We always love to see how you make your Farmgirl deliveries a little home in your space! Tag your arrangements with @farmgirlflowers or with #farmgirlflowers on Instagram so we can see! Don’t have a delivery coming your way? Want to change that? Shop California grown ranunculus while the season lasts here!

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P.O. Box 2258
El Granada, CA 94018

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the ranuncu-low down get the 411 on peony's little sister View in Browser | Update Preferences | Unsubscribe© 2023 Farmgirl Flowers. All rights reserved.P.O. Box 2258El Granada, CA 94018

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