Italian Ranunculus - Elegance Viola, Size 5/7 Corms

The Elegance® series of Ranunculus was developed by Italian breeder Biancheri Creazioni to improve on older ranunculus varieties, with the goal of uniformity: more consistent plant height, stem length, flowering time and bloom size. The Elegance series is a premium florist standard.

Farmer's Note: Personally, I find this premium series easier and faster to root indoors than Tecolote (I usually get 100% rooting in less than a week), better able to bounce back from a frost (I've accidentally frosted entire trays and had them bounce back with no issues), and more resilient to late spring heat.

Color Note: Viola is a rich purple.

Size: 5/7 cm in diameter, the largest available size. Larger corms typically produce stronger plants, more flowers and bigger blooms. Make sure you know the size of the corms you are buying, as many sellers leave out this detail and it really does make a difference.

Growing Note: Ranunculus can be tricky to grow in many areas of the U.S. The key to growing them well is knowing when to start them in your area. They HATE the heat, so if you start them too late they won't flower well and will terminate. They are not winter hardy below zone 8 and are prone to rot and to being eaten by mice and voles. In general, ranunculus take about 90 days from rooting to flower, and they need cool weather (40–50° at night and 60–70° during the day). If it's too warm, they will stay dormant. I always recommend soaking and pre-sprouting these premium corms rather than planting them as is and hoping for the best – they are far too finicky for that. Once you get your timing right, you will be rewarded!

Zones 8–11: plant in fall for early spring flowers
Zones 4–7: plant in VERY early spring/late winter for late spring flowers