During Covid lock down, I accidentally bought 200 ranunculus bulbs. ( They were on sale.) Stuck them in pots on top of my shed. Every year they come back bigger. Not sure if they multiply but sure seems like it. I mean, there’s bushels up there.😬
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We need to start a plant anonymous group.
I have a big box of "special" bulbs in my fridge that I'm afraid to plant.
Somebody keeps digging up my bulbs.
They even ate my saffron Crocus out of the rolling greenhouse.
I thought it was squirrels but I caught a rabbit munching on a bulb.
The rabbits and squirrels seem hungrier than usual this year in the Northeast. My theory is our unusually long and cold winter slowed spring growth by ~3-4 weeks so early spring plants they count on just were not there.
Even though our winter wasn't as bad in our area, I noticed that they are hungrier.
They are chewing on the barks of my young fruit trees which is something new.
On the bright side free bunny pebbles fertilizer.
200!? damn that's a lot of bulbs... I did something similar with tulips and the next spring after they bloomed the dear and squirrels dug them all up and ate them... 😔
That was a beautiful accident! I had some accidental purchases involving bulbs during COVID that were not lovely but did make me go “hmm”. I ordered a light bulb for a railroad lamp and got 10 minuscule light bulbs (maybe 1 cm) that make me wonder where they would be used.
are you knowledgeable about ranunculus? I love them, and I'm getting ready to plant my first ones! (I've soaked them and they are resting in the dark.) Any advice would be welcome! I guess my main question is, do I have to dig them up in Fall, or will they overwinter here in the Northeast?
They’re zone 7+ for overwintering, so overwintering depends on your NE microclimate.
Your bigger problem is summer heat. Once it hits ~80 they stop blooming. In my state RI, you have to plant in high tunnels much earlier than now & harvest in May - early June.
I too love ranunculus and tried planting corms in April for a few years here, but by the time they were ready to bloom in early July, the heat shut them down.
Now I content myself with buying stems from the florist & dream of having a high tunnel someday
I’m amazed they do that well, with the climate. Which do you think smells best? I love the yellow & the variegated, but sometimes the prettiest roses don’t seem to smell as good. I have one red rose bush. It does pretty well, but the highlight of my garden is the hydrangeas & peonies.
The two most fragrant are Sugar Moon (a white rose that isn't blooming yet) & the purple, Enchanted Evening. You can smell them from the house when they're in full bloom
The variegated are Miss Congeniality
& they do hibernate around July/August, but start blooming again in Sept
They multiply through their corms, which are swollen underground stems that store nutrients and energy. As the plant grows, it produces new corms, essentially "daughter corms" around the original corm. This allows the plant to propagate and spread.
Beautiful. I love my flowers. I have rose bushes and lilac bushes. Peonies and trumpet trees. My azaleas are, hopefully , going to be awesome again this year.
My favorite is the lilac bushes. When I have my windows opened and the wind blows just right, perfect. You can't buy that wonderful smell 😋
I once seeded a whole flat of basil. Planted all the ones the cat didn’t eat. Must’ve been 40 of em. Didn’t have the heart to thin them, they were so happy! I spent every Sunday morning stuffing basil into sacks and sneaking them onto random porches all summer, and still made 4 pounds of pesto!!
I had a pretty good spot in the yard, I pinched them daily when they started to flower, and I spritzed them with Bach flower remedies. Used a Bach mix to cure horrible fungus on the tomatoes too. Cool stuff!
Bought my fist ranunculus plants this year. They aren’t perennial where I am (too cold) but I’m hoping to dig them up at the end of the summer and keep them going next year!
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Aren't they something coming back prettier than the years before. They love their home & their keeper 💙
Side note, reminds me of my sister in law accidentally buying 50 lbs of flour during lockdown. 😂
Love this hot pink
💙✌️
I always get ranunculus mixed up in my mind with rampion from the Rapunzel fairytale.
(Never pass up a sale on bulbs 😉)
An aerial pic of your yard must be mind blowing.
I’m thinking it was a meant to be.
I have a big box of "special" bulbs in my fridge that I'm afraid to plant.
Somebody keeps digging up my bulbs.
They even ate my saffron Crocus out of the rolling greenhouse.
I thought it was squirrels but I caught a rabbit munching on a bulb.
Catching up now though
They are chewing on the barks of my young fruit trees which is something new.
On the bright side free bunny pebbles fertilizer.
One day, I looked out in the backyard and he was laying down taking a nap. There were deer 20 feet from him and he just ignored them.
Your bigger problem is summer heat. Once it hits ~80 they stop blooming. In my state RI, you have to plant in high tunnels much earlier than now & harvest in May - early June.
Now I content myself with buying stems from the florist & dream of having a high tunnel someday
I'm tending to roses at the moment
I like to give friends & family fresh flowers from my garden. It always makes them smile!
They grow surprisingly well here in Vegas
The variegated are Miss Congeniality
& they do hibernate around July/August, but start blooming again in Sept
I ❤️ peonies
That was an
Accident
At all ♥️
Maybe I should try them in pots in my sunny kitchen window.
It’s as if the ranunculus took one look at the world during lockdown and said, “Don’t worry, we’ve got this.” 💗
My favorite is the lilac bushes. When I have my windows opened and the wind blows just right, perfect. You can't buy that wonderful smell 😋
they look quite similar to peonies.
Good luck with planting. I bet they will reward you 🌺
I love ranunculus!