Ranunculus Beauty in 2023

Often referred to as the “spring rose”, ranunculus are hard not to fall in love with. With so many wonderful cut-flower qualities —tall stems, double ruffled blooms, light fragrance, high productivity, and their wide color range—it’s no wonder these flowers have become one of our most popular on the farm.

Ranunculus flowers are planted outside as corms (much like a bulb but more shaped like a small octopus) in our very early spring/late winter here in Indiana. They are tender flowers and need extra protection from cold temperatures. We pre-sprouted our ranunculus this year in mid-February and planted them out in the garden field in late April when the temperatures started to rise. Once the temps rise more, we plan to cover them with shade cloth over the low tunnels. The first blooms should show up around the 20th of May. These beauties will continue to bloom for a few weeks, hopefully until mid-June, when summer temperatures show up more regularly.

VARIETIES

Below are the ranunculus flowers we have growing in 2023:

(photos below are not ours, sourced from Floret)

Amandine

Large double-flowering blooms that are more heat-tolerant. We are growing bubblegum-pink (barby) and a blush, cream and light pink mix (chamellow) in 2023.

LaBelle

Shorter but stronger stem variety that is very productive. All of our LaBelle’s are salmon colored for 2023.

VASE LIFE TRICKS

Ranunculus have a long vase life, some lasting more than 2 weeks. We try to harvest once the buds are in “marshmallow” stage before they’ve really bloomed. Many customers prefer the flowers to be open more but those marshmallow buds will last the longest.

To prolong vase life, try putting your flowers, vase and all, in the refrigerator overnight or when you’re not home. Please remember to clip the stems with a change to the vase water every couple of days and add more flower food to prolong the vase life of ranunculus and keep the petals vibrant and richly colored. You should never had leaves or petals below the waterline, only stems. You can read more tips for longer vase life and general flower care here!