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Scroll down for everything from starting your corms, growing them on, coping with cold weather and heatwaves, watering, planting, flowering and Harvesting!
Enjoy!
Love Zoe xxx
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Its time to get growing!
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https://zoewoodwardgardening.com/2025/03/17/spring-2025-grow-a-long
Late Winter Starting
Anemones and Ranunculus Round 2
14th February 2025
Its much too cold to start corms off in an unheated greenhouse so we have started them in a cool place indoors.
Due to the lack of space we made a change for late Winter and started off our corms all together in the same tray (but separated by colour/variety).
I tested the soil temperature and found it was around 14.8C. All the corms have sprouted and are ready now to be transplanted into their own trays.
Its important that you don’t leave this step too long, they will need moving on in 10-14 days after soaking and planting in the tray.
If you have any problems with your corms not waking up, check to see if the compost has dried out, it needs to be moist but not wet!
ROUND 2 LATE WINTER STARTED ANEMONES AND RANUNCULUS
Pre sprout them indoors it’s much to cold out in the Greenhouse and Corms may rot!
You have not missed my planting out, it’s been incredibly cold and the plants are behind this year. I will be planting mine shortly, here are the videos if you are ready now!
Ranunculus ‘potting up for the container garden’ and ‘watering schedule’
Ranunculus are very thirsty plants, if you let them dry out the foliage will collapse.
We have been so trained to not over water during the winter it you can forget that a combination of the longer days (higher light levels) the warmth when the sun does come out, wind and ventilation and the fact that these plants are no longer seedlings but mature flower plants can catch you out.
Bud failure
Ranunculus have hollow stems, if they are left dehydrated for too long flowering stems can bend and eventually collapse usually near the to of the stem (this is the weight of the flower bud).
There is no coming back from this, stems will need to be removed at the base to allow another stem to grow and replace it.
Usually if caught in time the plant will recover, however the best results are always achieved when the plants are not exposed to stress.
Anemones need water also but not quite as much so always check before watering rather than treating all plants the same.
It’s much easier to show you, so I hope you enjoy this video
Autumn Jump Starter Videos Below
This page will include all the regular ‘live’ growing updates as we go. Just check in once a week to see what we are up to!
Greenhouse Update 27 November 2024
A quick round up of the Autumn started seeds, including Ammi majus, Ammi visnaga, Larkspur, Nigella, Sweet Rocket (Hesperis matronalis), Cerinthe, Agrostemma, Poppies (Papaver somniferum), Wild Carrot (Daucus carota), Briza maxima (Greater Quaking Grass), and Cynoglossom (Chinese Forget-me-nots.
Anemones, Ranunculus and Butterfly Ranunculus (fast forward to 3:36)
If you have started your corms late, they may need to be brought in to the house at night to get them going.
Butterfly Ranunculus are tall corms, make sure the crown is covered with moist but not wet compost. If the crown is dry the corm won’t wake up.
All the roots and shoots come from the crown only.
The legs are just food storage to get the plant going. If only the bottom half of the pot is wet the legs will rot in cold wet soil while the corm stays dormant.
If this has happened to you, rather than just adding more water, change the compost.
Once the conditions are right the plants will be away! Lots of love Zoe
Ranunculus and Anemone Update 3rd November 2024
‘The Corms are Shooting Time to Pot them Up’
Don’t forget to check your vermiculite started corms, mine where started on the 19th October and are off to the races!
Starting Anemones, Ranunculus & Butterfly Ranunculus in Vermiculite (19 October 2024)
If you have ever had problems rotting your corms when starting them off I have a different method for you to try.
Ranunculus come up relatively quickly however Anemones take longer and it temping to ‘give them another water’ if you don’t see a shoot, or treat them all the same and water as a task to do.
The next thing you know is the corms have gone swishy like ‘chewing gum’.
Below I have added links to the individual dedicated videos on starting these beautiful plants.
Hope this helps you have spectacular success!
Love Zoe
How to Grow Ranunculus (Part 1)
This is Part 1 of the videos on Starting your Ranunculus, Anemone and new Butterfly Ranunculus Corms. Lots more to come!
Called the ‘Rose of Spring’, Ranunculus will provide gorgeous blooms throughout the start of the season, giving you an abundance of flowers long before the Roses wake up.
Autumn sown plants will need a protected growing space, either undercover in a greenhouse or polytunnel or in pots in a greenhouse.
They will start blooming well before the last frosts. Frosts will damage the leaves and the flowering stems. The protected growing environment will also give you very tall stems.
By early May, Autumn started corms will begin to shut down due to the very warm polytunnel temperatures.
Plants have also been growing a very long time so in late Winter/early Spring I sow another round of corms. This 2nd sowing will give me flowers in May and June, and depending on your local conditions, you might still be picking flowers in early July.
REMINDER: DO NOT START CORMS DECEMBER OR JANUARY – LIGHT LEVELS ARE TOO LOW AND CORMS COULD ROT IN THE COLD.
How to Grow Anemones (Part 2)
This is Part 2 of 3 videos on Starting your Ranunculus, Anemone and new Butterfly Ranunculus Corms.
Floral designers will be very familiar with these statuesque cut flower types which flood the flower markets throughout the cooler months.
Blooming long before the roses and sweet peas, Ranunculus and Anemones will transform arrangements and bring early colour to the garden.
The Ranunculaceae family are quite shallow rooting so I have trialled growing both Anemones and Ranunculus in pots over the last few years and have found them to do really well.
Some protection from the weather will be needed, and this is made easier by growing in pots.
You can simply move them out of harms way into a sheltered location during adverse weather conditions. Especially helpful if you don’t have a greenhouse or polytunnel.
By early May, Autumn started corms will begin to shut down due to the very warm polytunnel temperatures. Plants have also been growing a very long time so in late Winter/early Spring I sow another round of corms.
This 2nd sowing will give me flowers in May and June, and depending on your local conditions, you might still be picking flowers in early July.
REMINDER: DO NOT START CORMS DECEMBER OR JANUARY – LIGHT LEVELS ARE TOO LOW AND CORMS COULD ROT IN THE COLD.
How to Grow Butterfly Ranunculus (Part 3)
Butterfly Ranunculus are grown in much the same was as the Rose shaped cut flower Ranunculus, however they will need a bigger pot for starting off (1L see video for exact measurements with a tape measure!) and more space at planting out time. I will provide detailed planting advice for both containers and planting in the ground near the time.
IF you are worried about ‘over watering’ start in a 9cm pot and move on to the 1L size once the plant has grown and filled the container. Don’t let them get root bound. The will stop growing and plants will be smaller.
This video also includes information on high domed propagators (unheated) for protecting corms from mice and other rodents as they sprout and a quick catch up on the Anemones.
Happy growing!
Watering Pre-Spouting Ranunculus and Anemones
Spot watering Individual cells can dry out at different rates depending on their position in the greenhouse. Check and spot water as required.
Not needing to water is a sign that your greenhouse or trays are not in the right location.
Small mini greenhouses can be easily moved.
The dipping light levels can plunge a previously sunny location into shade.
Make sure you secure mini greenhouses (I call them Zippy’s) to prevent them from being blown over in strong winds and ruining your hard work.
More information can be found on my website under Shopping List where I walk you through all the kit I use.
In the meantime you can bring trays of Ranunculus and Anemones indoors to give the a little kick start, but do keep and eye on them and transfer them back to the greenhouse as soon as you see growth.
You can order my exact seeds, corms and tubers just ahead of each Grow-A-Long so we can grow the exact same plants together!
The next shop will be in January ahead of the Spring Grow-A-Long For a reminder click the link below to be added to my mailing list
Zoe’s mailing list (click here)
Anemones, Ranunculus and Butterfly Ranunculus, what to expect weeks 1-5 from starting.
Grow-A-Long update This video shows you the stages of growth from week 1-5. At the end of the video is a ‘real time’ update from my greenhouse today as well as tips on giving corms a jump start.
Much more information included in your Handbook!
Handbook (eBook) free for customers ordering our corms (minimum order applies). Next chance to order will be our late winter mini sale.
CLICK HERE TO BE NOTIFIED ABOUT OUR SEASONAL GROW-A-LONG SHOPS AND HANDBOOKS
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