If you don’t know the name- describe it as a rose or a peony and I’ll guess

… it’s a ranunculus!

They don’t have a scent- they last 10 days or more in a vase (that is outstanding for a flower that isn’t given any chemicals and is organically grown); the colours range from tropical fruit to soft, subtle and sweet-

I saved some of my corms from last season. Unfortunately, I don’t recall where I bought last year’s ones. I was really proud of myself for saving corms and overwintering them and starting them again.

Fun fact: The corm disappears completely once it has established roots and shoots. Then after the season is over it grows another one– this means that it is susceptible to being eaten by little mice for example because they would like to feast on the corms. As the plant grows and the corm is no longer there- the little animals are not interested in them any more!

I start the corms in my greenhouse while it’s still winter. I soak them for 4 hours in water. Then I place them in a shallow dish, cover with a bit of seed starting mix and a small amount of water so they are a little damp but not soggy. It always seems like they aren’t going to do anything…and then the next day– you see some tiny shoots. If you lift them carefully you can see that they have been busy making lots of tiny white roots beneath the earth. At this stage, I pot them up into individual pots so they can be a bigger plant by the time I plant them into the hoop house. They are such an easy flower to harvest, they shoot from the bottom and do not require anything special except regular cutting and placing in cool exceptionally clean water. I let them rest before I arrange with them. I LOVE them- and they really have proven to be a fan favourite.