If their dormant bulbs were planted back in October or November, ranunculus will soon be blooming. Those of us who missed the bulbs last autumn can already find blooming plants in nurseries. The bright yellow, orange, red, pink or white flowers are about three inches wide and seem to be outfitted with too many petals. They stand about a foot to a foot and a half tall, a few inches above the basal foliage that can get half a foot to a foot deep. The light green leaves resemble parsley, but are not as finely textured. Although perennial, ranunculus are most popularly grown as annuals because they tend to rot soon after bloom. They perform best with no more than a bit of shade, and rich but very well drained soil. They are more likely to survive as perennials if allowed to get rather dry as their foliage deteriorates after bloom.
Tony Tomeo 
They are such pretty flowers and I have grown them once in a while. They do not make it through our wet summers.
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What?! They do not last well through our warm and dry summers. I suspect that the foliage prefers a bit more humidity. I just planted some since writing this, so I hope they perform well. (I did not select them.)
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Some of our earliest spring wildflowers — a number of buttercup species — are in the Ranunculus genus. Our local ones tend to be small, but there’s a larger one that appears in the center of the state that resembles the ones you’ve shown here. Isn’t it pretty?
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It looks like buttercup. The species that is native here looks similar to that, but lays flat against the ground, and can be difficult to eradicate from damp situations.
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I love these flowers, but have never tried to grow them. They might do well in my garden, which is well drained. Thanks for the tips!
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They are alluring as they begin to bloom in early spring, but may not continue for long into summer. I just happened to plant a few nursery grown specimens last week. (I did not select them.) Because the few that I grew in the past bloomed with only a few flowers early in spring, I do not know what to expect from those that we just planted. I hope that they perform better here.
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