Ranunculus bulb recommendations.

January 5, 2017 12:10 PM

Have you bought ranunculus bulbs online? If so, is there a particular vendor you'd recommend?

My wife loves ranunculus (Persian buttercup) and I'd like to plant some around the yard (we live in Zone 9, in NE Florida). I've poked around a bit on the internet looking for bulbs to buy, but quickly got overwhelmed, and feel completely unable to suss out a good seller. Is there a particular vendor you'd recommend, or recommend avoiding?

Also, anything else I should know before planting? I've read a bit about them but more knowledge is always appreciated.

posted by saladin to Home & Garden (3 answers total)

Best answer: I've had great success with ranunculus from Easy to Grow Flower Bulbs. They ship high quality, healthy tubers. Their web site has complete info on preparation, planting and care. In our zone I usually plant them September through November to provide succession blossoming through spring. I don't buy every year, but leaving them in place for more than one year doesn't yield as many flowers as planting first year bulbs. They're beautiful in massed groupings. Five to ten in a group will fill anywhere from 2 to 4 square feet with color.
posted by X4ster at 12:40 PM on January 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I work for an online bulb retailer. Two things I'd recommend looking into:

-Purchasing from a site that offers a "grow guarantee" of some sort. We have one, as do most of our big competitors.

-Reviews on Dave's Garden Watchdog. We don't get a lot of activity there, but I think it has the best centralized reviews you'll find for this industry.


Also, if you have any questions about planting, give companies that you're looking into a call. We pride ourselves on being able to help customers out with gardening questions, and again, I think most of our big competitors do as well. If a company isn't easily reachable or knowledgeable about their bulbs or other products, you may want to think twice before buying from them.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 12:45 PM on January 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Great advice and info NSAID. Dave's Garden is a top notch source for good gardening information.
posted by X4ster at 12:51 PM on January 5, 2017 [1 favorite]