How to properly store Ranunculus Corms for the winter season

Ranunculus are an adored cut flower, often showcased in big, bountiful wedding bouquets. Ranunculus are often called buttercups, and is a genus that includes about 600 species of flowers that are native to a wide range of regions and climates. The Persian buttercup (Ranunculus asiaticus) is the most popular species for cut flower gardening, and are native to the Mediterranean region.

In it’s native climate, the popular ranunculus that we see in the florist stores here in Canada, grow their green foliage in the colder winter months then bloom in the early spring. Although this ephemeral bloom grows naturally in hardiness zone 7 or higher, they are easily grown here in zone 3 if a gardener is willing to do a little extra work.

Leaving the corm in the ground to over winter is not an option for our zone, with our frigid temperatures reaching as low as -40 C some days. So, the corms have to be extracted from the earth and brought inside to our warm houses so they don’t get killed by the cold.

Here are some guidelines on how to bring in your ranunculus babies for the winter:

The strange octopus-looking corms of a ranunculus, ready for winter storage.

• You can choose to dig up your corms in the summer when the plant is done blooming and died back, or in the fall when you’re preparing the rest of your garden for winter. In either case, the steps are the same.

• After digging up the corms, cut off any extra plant material (down to where the soil line would be). If you’re lucky, the plant will have multiplied and you’ll be able to separate several corms from each other, expanding your flower garden for next year.

• You can choose to wash the dirt off or leave it one, this is a personal preference. I leave my corms coated in dirt for the simple fact that rinsing them off would be an extra step.

• You need to allow the corms to dry out completely. Usually around 24-48 hours.

• Store your corms in a paper bag or other container that has some level of air flow. Then store them in a cool dry place. A basement is a great place to store your corms over the winter, just be sure that you don’t store them beside the furnace as they’ll get too hot. On the other hand, a fridge is too cool.

  
  

Then in the spring, you’ll be able to take these out of storage and begin the growing process all over again. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty and give this a try! Let me know if you do in the comments.