Are All Ranunculus Created Equal?

Let me skip to the end...hecks to the NO! (spoiler-alert* the Italians are my faves)

It took me more than a few growing seasons (or should I say, non-growing seasons;) to realize the answer to this question, Ranunculus are not all created equal. Figuring that out was a game-changer for me. My hope is that this overview will help you decide which ones are best for you and which ones you might not be up for.

Let’s start with the two most common varieties on the market today: Amandine & Tecolote

Both of these varieties exhibit excellent vase life, fluffy blooms and plenty of fetching color options (if I had to pick one of the two, Amandine takes the cake with a full 5 stars on all these traits. Tecolote comes in behind because of their limited color options and lower petal count.)

The tricky thing about these two is that they’re pretty dang sensitive to non-ideal temps. And, because I was learning to grow these guys while also trying to keep four young daughters alive, fed & watered and somewhat emotionally stable, my ranunculus obsession took the backseat. I’d get them planted (good job, me) but that didn’t mean I always had the wherewithal to panic-run outside in my pj’s at night to cover them with a bed sheet when I saw freezing temp alerts on my weather app. 

Pros: Impressive structure, vase life and fluff factor 

Cons: 6/10 fragile factor

AND Then there’s Japanese ranunculus

Good gravy people! Their blooms are ahhhhmmaaazing (same with Japanese sweet peas, IMHO)! I actually have no experience growing Japanese ranunculus because their corms are not currently available/allowed to be grown outside of Japan. Dang it, man. Maybe someday…

Pros: jaw dropping gorgeous and great vase life

Cons: I have no idea. We can’t grow them here

Procrastination Pro-Tip: google Japanese ranunculus: “Charlotte”

Next up, we have Butterfly ranunculus. Another gorgillious (albeit less fluffy) variety

What they lack in petal count, they make up for with long, playful stems, shimmery, delicate textures and a full line-up of jaw dropping color options. Not only that, their vase life is on par with their (quite impressive) cousins, averaging 7-10 days. 

So why don’t I grow them? Lord love em’, these guys are high maintenance. And ain’t nobody got time for that. Not only are they the most fragile of all the varieties I’ve mentioned here but they also take up the most real estate, requiring planting at intervals at least 12” apart (for reference, I plant mine every 4”). Because I only grow flowers that are sweet to me even if not sweet to them, (read: I don’t have the time or energy to babysit my flowers) and also, due to my limited growing space as an urban farmer, these just don’t make the cut for me.

Pros: flower structure, airy movement, vase life.

Cons: high maintenance and take lots more space

Saving the best for last: The Italians

These guys are officially my bestest ranunculus friends. They are currently the only variety I grow and the only type I carry in our online shop. 

They check ALL the boxes for me:

• Color 

• Resiliency

• Stem structure

• Petal count

• Vase life

They are the most adaptable corms I’ve found on the market; withstanding the coldest temps of all the ranunculus I’ve grown and continuing to bloom through the warmest spring seasons. With ideal ranunculus temps ranging from 50-80 degrees, I feel a little sheepish putting my actual temps on here but let’s just say these tenacious Italian ranuncs have made it through some rheeeeaaally unseasonably cold snaps here in the PNW. A few winters ago, we had one of the coldest weeks on record. And it came too quickly for me to get my booty outside to get them protected before the snow came. I was left to assume (as any normal serial-ranunculus-lover would) that the winter storm had destroyed all of my plants. Guys, they were totally fine! Not quite sure what kind of ranunculus magic that is but, whooo doggy, I’ll take it. Because I ship to a range of growing zones spanning the entire country, these are, hands down, my top pick. 

Pros: all the things

Cons: you can’t grow them if you live in Antarctica

There’s my run down, folks. Hope this helps when considering your next (or first!) ranunculus move. Feel free to drop a comment below and let me know your thoughts. 

Xo
Anne

P.S. Deep diving into our DDG (drop-dead-gorgeous) ANEMONES on our next post!