Few flowers compare to ranunculus with their dainty beauty and romantic petals. They're often used in weddings for this reason, but you might not have seen them since then! Ranunculus are in a group of flowers called hardy annuals. This means they can handle cooler weather, but complete their life cycle in one year. Because our spring is so short here in Texas, these need to be planted in the fall so they have enough cool weather to grow properly before they bloom in the spring.
Ranunculus seeds are called corms and look like shriveled octopuses when they arrive. I soaked them in water and then planted them in potting soil to pre-sprout them before planting them in my garden at the end of October.
Due to our crazy weather patterns here in North Texas, these flowers need protection a few times in the winter from frigid temperatures. December was unusually cold here with it dropping to 8 degrees before Christmas. In preparation for this drastic temperature drop, I watered really well and covered my ranunculus with frost cloth. The flowers survived the extreme cold of December for the most part and are really putting on new growth as we've had record warm temperatures in January!
These ruffled flowers may look dainty, but they're incredibly tough to deal with our temperature swings. I can't wait for them to start blooming and to share their beauty with you!