Ranunculus Care Guide
By Jessica Mcnamara
Mar 30, 2021
Welcome to your Ranunculus care guide! Here you will find all of our Growers' knowledge of how best to look after your Ranunculus, and what to do if you get stuck.
Plant name: Ranunculus
Latin name: Ranunculus acris L.
Varieties included: Ranunculus Magic, Ranunculus Mache
Perhaps the most bloomin’ marvellous spring plant there is – the beautiful Ranunculus! With an almost rose-like appearance, this plant is guaranteed to wow with its blooms and fantastic array of colours.
Great planted into your beds and borders for a pop of colour, or into a container in either a mono-planting or to add height and structure, the Ranunculus is a great option for any level of gardener, and any type of outdoor space!
Hardiness: Hardy annual plant
What does this mean? Ranunculus should survive the frosty nights of winter to continue to provide colour throughout spring and into the cooler summer months.
Before You Start
If you are planting in a garden container, make sure it is clean and has drainage holes in the base. You will need a good quality compost, trowel, watering can and gloves may also be useful.
Planting Guide
When planting directly into a garden bed or border it is often best to lay out your plants still in the pots so you can make sure you plant them in the best place to get the overall visual impact you are wanting.
Once you have decided where the plant is going dig a hole a little bit bigger than the pot size in the garden bed / border.
Next, take the plant out of the pot. This can be done easily by squeezing the sides of the pot between your thumb and fingers, then releasing your grip on the pot. This helps the roots come away from the pot.
Then hold the plant by the base of the stem, close as possible to the pot and remove the plastic pot. Hold your plant by the root ball and position in the middle of the hole.
The top of the compost around the plant should be a little lower than the level of the bed / border. If you need to dig a little deeper take the plant out and make the hole a bit deeper.
Once the Ranunculus plant fits in the hole you can twist it around to get the best side of the plant facing forwards. When you are happy with the position fill the hole back in around the root ball and firm the soil back in.
Finally give the garden plant a good water, wherever possible trying to avoid getting water on the flowers.
Avoid planting during the hottest parts of the day. They prefer to be planted during the cooler part of the day as this reduces their stress levels (and nobody wants to see her stressed believe us!)
Positioning
Ranunculus will be happy in any part of your garden, but they will thrive if you can find a spot that gets a little bit of sun for them.
Watering & Feeding Guide
Keep your Ranunculus fairly well-watered, especially in warmer and windier weather, as the soil will dry out a bit quicker in these conditions. Make sure you don’t overwater though to prevent the leaves from moulding and being more prone to disease.
They will benefit from a feed every week or two, using a multipurpose feed.
Soil type: Ranunculus can be planted in any type of soil, but perform best in free-draining soil. Use a potting mix compost for containers for better moisture retention and drainage.
Top Tips
Deadheading will promote further flowering and keep them blooming all season long.
Too many Ranunculus in your garden (if there is even such a thing!)? Why not try cutting a few and popping them in a vase indoors – Ranunculus are a popular cut flower and there is nothing better than home-grown! Snip the bottom of the stem at an angle and enjoy these wonderous blooms in multiple rooms in your home!
