Spring Dreams: Ranunculus
There’s magic in both the waiting and the watching! Will they come back this year? Has it been too cold? Did we do our best job of covering them? This is just one facet of raising flowers for arrangements that enhance the beauty and pleasure of all.
Late winter is tough on farmer-florists.
Anxiety and Joy: the Same Thing on a Micro-flower Farm
Without question, ranunculus are our favorite spring flowers. Not that we don’t also love those beautiful anemones, the deep blue ones and the white ones with a purple middle. Also the crocus, tulips and narcissus, of course. They’re all over the place. Sure signs that the weather is turning for the better! These are all beautiful plants that like the cold and, when the real summer heat sinks into us in Portland, they fade quickly.
But at Portmanteau, we wait most anxiously for the ranunculus. They seem to us the crown jewel of spring blooms! Here in the rose city, corms can actually over-winter in the ground. That’s right, no digging them up for indoor storage! All that it takes is a little frost covering to preserve these gorgeous flowers in their dormancy throughout the winter. At least that’s what we’ve discovered. They don’t suffer root rot if they have good drainage in ground or, as with us, in raised beds. They just sleep there after they produced their amazing displays the last year. And then, lo and behold, even before winter is over you can see their leaves and stems poking holes through the compost and mulch!
The Cost of Ranunculus: Big Sacrifices, Big Rewards
Ranunculus are among the more expensive blooms to buy at the wholesale market in winter. Especially the precious butterfly ranunculus with her delicate, indescribably face of petals. Which is why we avoid making ranunculus arrangements during this coldest of seasons. When you purchase a bouquet with these delicacies in them in winter, realize two things: how special and expensive they are, and how unseasonal and unsustainable they are. Chances are these blooms came from another country, a farm far away, frozen on an airplane.
Spring, though, is our extravaganza! The benefit of growing ranunculus in our climate is massive. It means these exquisite flowers are local to us. Each plant produces many blooms and keeps giving as a cut flower despite our choice to steal their loveliness for ourselves.
You want the best seasonal arrangements anyone in Portland can provide. We got you covered! If we’re not out there farming our own heritage varieties in our backyard micro-farm for you, we’ll find a way to get them from another local grower so you can feel good about your purchase.