When to plant buttercups in the ground in spring. Buttercup: types, composition, properties, application, recipes

General characteristics of garden ranunculus

1. Ranunculus, or garden ranunculus, is a plant that is rapidly gaining the sympathy of both experienced gardeners and beginners.
2. The beauty of forms and the endless variety of shades stagger the imagination.
3. Buttercup garden was grown thanks to the work of breeders who made it so that this plant is not much like its wild relative. There are many varieties and hybrids of this flower. The flowers of this plant will decorate any garden plot, flower bed or yard. unpretentious, bright plant always attracts attention.
4. The garden ranunculus is a short, bushy perennial. Its height averages about 55 cm. It is a weakly branching perennial, with an erect stem, a tuberous root-like system and flowers 5–10 cm in diameter, which can be simple, double or densely double.
5. The color scheme is very diverse, up to two - and even three-color varieties. A photo of garden buttercups displays the whole infinity of shades and tones of this plant. There are no only blue and blue flowers among buttercups.
6. Cut ranunculus can keep fresh for up to 7-10 days. The cut must be clean, oblique at an angle of 45 degrees. Cut flowers don't like straight ones. sun rays and drafts.
7. You should know that buttercups are perennial and annual. When purchasing this plant for yourself, you must definitely take this into account. But it also happens that some gardeners do not want to dig up the rhizomes of these flowers in the fall, but simply buy new roots or seeds in the spring.
8. However experienced gardeners they even recommend changing the roots every 3 to 4 years, buying new ones in special stores. This is due to the fact that over time, plants are affected by viruses, and can also lose their decorative effect.
9. You can also improve the health of plants by growing them from seeds.
10. However, it should be noted that, despite the unpretentiousness and impressive showiness of this perennial, it is poisonous. Therefore, it is recommended to grow it away from children and pets. It is usually planted in closed flower beds.

Types of buttercups

1. One of the species of the buttercup family is the garden ranunculus. The scientific name of this plant sounds like Ranunculus (ranunculus), which comes from the Latin word for frog. This is due to the fact that most species of buttercups, especially wild ones, are very fond of moisture and grow well on moist soil.
2. All buttercups can be conditionally divided into several subspecies. These are Asian, they include Persian, French and pion-shaped, and African, or they are also called turban-shaped.
3. From the very name of peony buttercups, it is clear that their flowers look like small peonies. The flowers are quite large, 7 - 10 cm in diameter, terry, the color range is very wide.
4. French buttercups have semi-double flowers, while Persian buttercups are characterized by a very short stem and single or semi-double flowers.
5. African buttercups are densely double and spherical, compared to the rest, they are very large.

Buttercup garden: planting and care, top dressing

1. pretty ranunculus unpretentious plant. Growing it won't give you any trouble, special care buttercup is not required. Even novice gardeners can cope with this task. By care, we mean loosening the soil, organizing proper rational watering of the plant, fertilizing, weeding, removing those outlets that have already faded, fighting diseases and all sorts of pests, if necessary.
2. Moisturizing the soil must be carried out regularly, but without overflowing. This can lead to rotting of the plant, and subsequently, even to its death. If, however, it happened that you overdid it with water, then you should immediately dig up the plant, rinse the root system, disinfect with a solution of potassium permanganate and let it dry for 2 to 3 hours. After that, plant in the ground.
3. Buttercups are afraid of overdrying the soil as well as overflow. Their roots dry out and die. In terms of watering, buttercups are quite capricious.
4. It should also be noted that these unpretentious plants grow quite quickly. This must not be allowed. Dig up the rhizomes, separate the "children" from them and transplant them to another place. Thus, it can be noted that these flowers reproduce very quickly. In one season, young plants produce up to three "kids", and adults - up to seven.
5. This is a very thermophilic plant. Garden ranunculus is planted in the spring, when the soil warms up by 6 - 8 cm. Presumably, this may be the middle or end of April or even the beginning of May. If, nevertheless, there is a danger of frostbite, then the planted plants must be covered with straw or other insulating materials.
6. The place for their planting of this plant should be chosen sufficiently sunny, but protected from direct sunlight. It should be borne in mind that buttercups, which are planted on a very sunny area your yard will bloom for a very short time. Therefore, an ideal place for planting a garden buttercup can be a flower bed, which is located under some kind of tree with a not very dense crown. Also buttercups do not approve of drafts. Thus, it should be a quiet place with diffused sunlight.
7. Plant next to buttercups any other ornamental plants not worth it. Despite all their attractiveness and abundance of flowers, these plants will simply be lost among others due to their short stature. Ranunculus are usually planted in groups of several plants or even quite numerous arrays.
8. The soil on which the plants are planned to be planted must necessarily be loose and soft. These plants do not take root well in loamy or sandy loamy soil. heavy soils mixed with peat or sand. It is important that the earth absorbs moisture well during irrigation and retains it for a very short time. Experienced gardeners prepare the land for planting, preferably in the fall, so that it settles well over the winter and mixes with the applied fertilizers.
9. The swollen tubers of the plant or the seedlings that have grown from your seeds are planted in a hole to a depth of about 5 cm. Drainage must be placed in each hole to prevent the plant from rotting. One root sits in one hole. The tuber of the garden ranunculus looks like an octopus. So they must be planted with their legs down, otherwise they may simply not germinate. After planting, it is recommended to slightly moisten the soil, but do not overdo it in order to prevent rotting of the roots.
10. Expect shoots of tubers in one and a half to two weeks. They will delight you with flowers in 2-3 months after disembarkation. The number of flowers that a plant forms directly depends on the size of the tuber: the larger the tuber, the more flowers it will have.
11. During the period active growth and the formation of a bush, it is necessary to fertilize the plant with nitrogen, and during the flowering period, apply potassium-phosphorus fertilizing. Top dressing helps to ensure that the flowering of the garden ranunculus is plentiful, and the development is good. Of course, if your soil is nutritious and oily, then top dressing is not necessary.
12. AT open field ranunculus nodules do not hibernate. Even with reliable shelter in the cold season, they die.
13. In early autumn, when the flowering of buttercups stops, and the leaves turn yellow, watering the plants is gradually stopped. Buttercup tubers are dug up, dried and cleaned of soil. It should be noted that all work must be carried out very carefully, because the rhizomes of these flowers are very fragile.
14. For storage, the tubers are placed in plastic bags with peat or sand and placed until spring in a cool place. Throughout the winter, the rhizomes are viewed several times. This is done for the purpose of early detection any root disease.
15. If you find any disease, rot or mold, the affected areas should be treated with colloidal sulfur or brilliant green. If the affected area is very large, it is immediately removed. If you follow the roots in this way, then they are able to maintain their viability for more than a year.

Reproduction of buttercups

There are two main ways of propagation of garden ranunculus:

• seeds;
• root division.

Reproduction by seeds

1. Collecting seeds from this plant at home is quite problematic. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase them in specialized stores.
2. If you still decide to collect the seeds yourself, then it is recommended to do this from the first dried flowers. So it's more likely that next year buttercup will not lose its decorative effect.
3. Garden ranunculus seeds should be sown in special containers at the end of February. The soil should be light and loose.
4. From above, the sown seeds are sprinkled with a small amount of soil, which should then be well moistened from the sprayer. Containers are covered with glass or film. A kind of greenhouse is created.
5. Periodically, the glass is opened, condensate is removed, the earth is ventilated and moistened. Buttercup garden is grown at a temperature of 10 - 14 C in a shaded place.
6. Usually after 2 - 3 weeks the first shoots already appear.
7. After that, the container is rearranged on a bright windowsill, but there should be no direct sunlight.
8. After the appearance of 4 true leaves, the plants dive into separate pots.

propagation by rhizomes

1. Reproduction by rhizomes is somewhat easier. As already mentioned, the buttercup tuber is somewhat similar to the octopus. If you are a beginner gardener and you do not have tubers stored from last year, then you should also purchase them in special stores.
2. The roots of this plant are packed in a special way and tend to be a bit dry. The main thing is that they are not overdried, so that they do not break. Otherwise, this plant will not sprout.
3. Before planting, it is recommended to moisten them a little. First you need to make a dark solution of potassium permanganate and disinfect the roots in this solution for 20-30 minutes.
4. Then they are wrapped in a damp cloth and left at room temperature for 3 hours.
5. After that, they are placed in plastic bag and put in the refrigerator or any other cool place for a day.
6. A day later, the roots of the garden ranunculus will swell almost twice and will be ready for planting them in the ground.

Diseases and pests

1. It should be noted that this species of buttercups is quite resistant to various diseases and pests. The only and main threat to buttercups is waterlogging of the soil.
2. Waterlogging contributes to the appearance of root rot and threatens the plant with death. Therefore, experienced gardeners recommend laying drainage in each hole when planting buttercups.
3. If the summer turned out to be too rainy, then garden buttercups can also suffer from powdery mildew, from cabbage butterflies that eat leaves. It is recommended to fight these pests with special bio-insecticide preparations that can be bought at any specialized store.
4. The leaves and peduncles of buttercups can be covered with white mold, and the petals - brown spots. This happens as a result of infection of the plant with fungi.
5. Nematodes are a great danger, they damage the roots of the plant. To prevent the attack of pests, various insecticidal agents are used.

Buttercups garden in a flower pot

1. A small root system and a compact bush allow the garden ranunculus to feel great in a flower pot right in the house.
2. Buttercups are quite compact plants, so they do not need big pot. 15 cm in diameter will be enough. Drainage required.
3. If the plant gets enough light and nutrients, then even in winter it can delight you with bright and long flowering.
4. Some gardeners, having dug up the rhizomes of buttercups in the fall, transplant them into pots and keep them indoors. One root is placed in one pot.
5. Growing buttercups in the house is no different from growing them on the street. The only thing is to limit access to them for children and pets.
6. The soil should be loose, it is best if it is a mixture flower land and sand in equal parts.
7. Buttercups thrive on the south side of the house, where the lighting is brighter. But from direct sunlight they still should be shaded.
8. AT winter time if the flower is not artificially illuminated, then it will not bloom. In addition, this flower also requires a certain dormant period. It is much less than it is necessary for other colors and is only 1 - 1.5 months.

Today we will talk about such wonderful plants as garden buttercups or Ranunculus. You will learn about what varieties of garden buttercups exist, how they reproduce, grow, see interesting photos these unique flowers, as well as get acquainted with the features of their planting in the open field, care and much more.

Buttercups garden: varieties and varieties

Charming buttercup flowers have been familiar to us since childhood. They are bright and beautiful, which is why they are often mentioned in songs, poems, and are also actively used in landscape design. Their poisonousness gave impetus to the name, and their breathtaking beauty influenced the affectionate form "buttercup".

Buttercups - delicate flowers of various shades

Buttercups are perennial plants whose root system is represented by tubers. Their range of colors is very rich. You can find these flowers in white, orange, red, pink and even bicolor. There are two main varieties of these amazing plants.

There is a huge amount various kinds garden buttercups:

• many-flowered;
• caustic;

Buttercups are caustic

• water;
• burning;
• creeping, etc.

The most common yellow buttercups, they are often used in traditional medicine. Many species are used as beautiful ornamental plants.

Planting a plant

For planting garden buttercups, choose a place that is warm and sheltered from the wind. They are not too whimsical to the soil, but planting in a well-drained, warm, moderately moist and humus-rich open ground will obviously appeal to them. Let's look at how the planting itself is done.

Buttercups need well-drained soil to plant.

Planting ranunculus in the open field is carried out in mid-May, when warm weather is already set. Excessively wet or unheated soil can cause the death of plants. If frosts still occur in your region in May, then first plant buttercups in peat pots or newspaper bags. You can leave the plants in the veranda or on the balcony, the optimum temperature for them will be 15-18 degrees. After the arrival of warming, planting buttercups in a flower bed will already become available.

Planting these plants in open ground, where further cultivation will take place, involves pre-soaking the root cones in warm water for 2 hours, sometimes high-quality growth stimulants are used instead of water. After this procedure, the bumps will increase significantly in size.

Planting buttercup

It is necessary to dig a recess in the soil by 5 cm and place the cones of the plant in it with the roots down. The distance between plantings should be at least 10 cm. Then, you can water the ground a little, but not abundantly, so that the plants do not start to rot. As you can see, planting buttercups does not involve any complex manipulations.

buttercup care

Perennial garden buttercups are non-capricious plants. But in order for your buttercups to grow healthy and please the eye, it is worth following a few tips and providing them with the right care.

The root system of garden buttercups is quite sensitive to both excessive moisture and excessive drought. Therefore, special attention should be paid to proper watering. From time to time feel the soil, controlling its level of moisture. If you feel dry, then you should water the plant a little. Drainage in the form of pebbles or expanded clay, covered at the bottom of the planting pit, will help protect buttercups from overflow, sometimes pieces of birch charcoal are added. By the end of flowering (August), watering should be gradually reduced.

Buttercups need balanced watering to develop.

Advice. In no case do not fill the ranunculus with a large amount of water and do not water too often. Such "obtrusive" care can lead to the appearance of mold on the rhizome and rotting, from which the plant will soon die.

When the peduncles and leaves die off (August-September period), garden buttercups are dug up. root system plants are shaken off the ground, dried and stored in boxes or paper bags. Storage should be in a place with good ventilation and room temperature. However, there are those who simply throw away the old rhizomes and buy new ones for planting in the spring. AT southern regions Buttercups with special protective cover can tolerate the winter relatively well.

Attention! Buttercup has very fragile roots that are easy to damage, so they should be handled carefully and carefully.

Fertilizer and feeding buttercup

If you want garden buttercups to grow healthy, bloom profusely and beautifully, then you need to feed them periodically. During the period of leaf growth, these perennials need to be fed with special fertilizers rich in nitrogen. When buttercups begin to bud, they need a phosphorus-potassium fertilizer. It is best to fertilize once every two weeks. Such simple procedures will provide your buttercups with amazing growth and flowering.

Buttercups need mineral supplements at all stages of vegetation

Plant propagation

Reproduction of garden buttercups can be done in several ways. Their tubers summer period form several daughter cones, which are carefully separated, dried and stored until next landing. But these buttercups will bloom only in a year or two.

Buttercup root cones

In addition, the cultivation of garden buttercups accepts seed propagation. Due to the short viability, it is very difficult to obtain such seeds on your own. It is better to just buy them in a specialized flower shop. Seeds must be planted in March, in a loose mixture of peat soil and sand. Sprinkle the seeds with earth and moisten with water from a spray bottle. As you can see, the reproduction of buttercups is quite simple.

buttercup seeds

The landing is covered with a film, periodically ventilated and maintained at a temperature of 10 to 12 degrees Celsius. The first shoots should appear after 2-3 weeks. After that, the container is moved to a warmer place (with an air temperature of up to 20 degrees). seedlings require a large number of light, so it is best to place the container on the south window and provide it with additional illumination. Only in mid-May, seedlings can be planted in open ground for further growth.

Diseases and pests

Buttercups are very resistant to various diseases and pests. If the care of the plants is wrong, for example, too abundant watering, then root rot may appear. In addition, if summer season turned out to be too wet, these perennial flowers can hit powdery mildew, and the leaves can attract annoying cabbage butterflies. against pests, this case, bioinsecticide preparations can be used.

cabbage butterfly

Garden shrub buttercups: combination with other plants

As mentioned earlier, buttercups need sunlight and relative shade for normal growth and development. These conditions can be achieved by planting other plants next to them.

For example, all varieties of garden buttercups make an excellent combination with arabis. So they will receive not only the necessary shade, but also a lot of nutrients. They will also grow well near trees and bushes. If your goal of growing is cutting, then nothing should interfere with the growth of buttercups.

Buttercups in a common flower bed

Garden shrub buttercups in landscape design

Luxurious perennial rununculi are often used in landscape design. Their varieties are able to create a truly charming composition, original, stylish, unusual. Group and mass plantings of these plants will decorate the surrounding space with their presence (flower beds, alpine hills, rockeries), and in combination with other shrubs and flowers they will create a simply amazing flower bed. They are also planted in pots or stylish patio containers, which looks very fresh in modern landscape design.

Buttercup in landscape design

Garden buttercups are very beautiful, unpretentious and amazing plants. They are able to decorate with their appearance any piece of land, make it bright, unique, become indispensable attributes in landscape design. Their cultivation will bring you a lot of pleasure. Give them your care, love, warmth, give them proper care, then they will reward you with their gorgeous flowering.

Planting buttercups with seeds: video

Varieties of buttercups: photo

Garden buttercups are beautiful flowers resembling miniature roses or poppies in shape. They don't require special attention in care and at the same time give the flower bed originality and a beautiful view. It was this combination of qualities that allowed these flowers to gain popularity among many flower growers.

plant description

Buttercup (or ranunculus) - perennial herbaceous plant, found naturally in Australia, Asia, North and South America, Africa, Europe. Buttercup garden appeared thanks to the work of breeders. It differs from its wild-growing relative in the size of the flower, a variety of colors.

The garden ranunculus is a short, bushy perennial, from 40 to 100 cm high. Its stem is erect, the root is tuberous. Flowers from 5 to 10 cm in diameter, simple, semi-double or double, varied colors. The exceptions are blue and blue colors which do not yet exist.

IMPORTANT. All buttercups are poisonous, so it is not recommended to plant them in the yard if there are children in the house.

The most popular varieties and varieties of buttercups with photos

There are two varieties of this flower. Which include several subspecies:

• Asian (Persian)- plants about 40 cm high with double or simple flowers that look like roses.
• African (chalmoid)- have more large leaves and petals folded inward. This variety is more like a peony.

The most popular when grown in the garden are the following types flower:

• caustic- widely distributed in nature, grows in meadows and forests in Asia and Europe. It has medicinal properties. Blooms golden - yellow flowers in June. Winter-hardy, can grow in partial shade.
• Aconitolistny (or borecelistny)- bushy plant up to 80 cm in height. Flowers are white or yellow.
• Anemone- undersized, about 30 cm, yellow-flowered, less often white-flowered.
• multiflorous- from 40 to 80 cm in height. Flowers yellow, shiny. Blooms from June to August.
• hybrid varieties- derived from the Asian species. They have a variety of colors and flower shapes. There are even two-tone colors.

IMPORTANT. Experienced flower growers it is advised to change the varieties of buttercups in your area every 3-4 years, acquiring new rhizomes, as over time they lose their decorative effect.

Time and place for planting buttercups in the open field

In the middle of May, buttercups are planted in open ground.

Buy planting material stands in February-March. Before planting, store the tubers at 17 degrees Celsius in a ventilated area. Buttercups are planted on seedlings in early April. But at the same time, keep in mind that this flower does not like transplantation, so you need to plant it in peat pots or tablets. But it is more expedient to immediately plant a flower on the street.

Buttercups are planted in open ground in mid-May, after the onset of real heat. This plant is thermophilic and cannot bring even short-term frosts.

For boarding, select sunny place, but with scattered sun or some partial shade. It is important to choose a place protected from drafts and gusts of wind. An ideal place would be near a bush, from which a shadow falls part of the day, or under a low, not too sprawling tree.

IMPORTANT. If you plant a buttercup in a too bright, sunny place, then it will not bloom for long and not abundantly.

Neighborhood in a flower bed with other plants and flowers

Do not plant buttercup next to bright colors, against their background, small bushes will be lost. The exception is the blue anemone, with which the ranunculus looks good.

IMPORTANT. Watch how the buttercup grows in the flower bed. This flower is quite aggressive and can crowd out other flowers by taking over their space with its root system.

Soil composition requirements

Buttercups prefer light, loose soil with neutral acidity. In addition, the earth must be nutritious, so it is recommended to add humus to it before planting.

Landing technology

Tubers are soaked for 10-12 hours before planting so that they are saturated with moisture. You can use a growth stimulator or a solution of potassium permanganate. Swollen roots become like spiders. Once this has happened, you can start landing.

Holes are prepared for planting, on the bottom of which drainage is laid. It is necessary to plant tubers 5 cm deep. A distance of 15-20 cm is left between plants. The tubers are planted down with legs. Shoots appear in 10-14 days.

IMPORTANT. If after planting there is a threat of frost, buttercups should be covered with straw or covering material.

Buttercup flower care in the open field

Buttercup - unpretentious plant

Buttercup is a rather unpretentious plant and does not require any special attention to itself. It is enough to carry out watering, but without waterlogging, and loosening the soil, to ensure air access to the roots.

Important for regular flowering timely feeding once in two weeks. At the beginning of the growing season, top dressing is carried out with nitrogen fertilizers. From the beginning of budding to the end of flowering, potassium-phosphorus mixtures are added.

During flowering, all fading and drying flowers should be removed. At the end of flowering, the frequency and abundance of watering are sharply reduced. If this is not done, the roots may rot. As soon as the foliage begins to wilt, watering is stopped.

IMPORTANT. In rainy weather, the landing site of buttercups should be covered with a film so that the roots do not become waterlogged.

Tuber storage

Buttercups do not tolerate frost, so they are dug up for the winter. It is worth doing this in September, after the aerial part has completely dried. The dug tubers are cleaned from the ground, dried. It is recommended to store them in a dry room at a temperature of 19-21 degrees. For storage, they are wrapped in cloth. You can also place the tubers in pots with dry peat.

What causes buttercups

The plant is resistant to diseases, but still with improper care some problems may arise. Overwatering can cause root rot. This can be avoided with the help of drainage and regular watering. If you notice mold on leaves and flowers, remove them and stop watering immediately. Loosen the soil to aerate the roots.

Dropping buds also indicates excessive moisture. Dry the soil, and the ranunculus will come to life and continue to bloom.

In cold damp weather, the plant can be affected by powdery mildew. For prevention and treatment, use special fungicides for this disease.

Plant pests and their control

Nematode, a common pest on this plant

A frequent guest in the root system of a buttercup is a nematode. If you notice that the foliage is curling and the plant is lagging behind in development, then it is affected by this pest. You can get rid of it by digging up a bush and washing the roots in water at a temperature of 50 degrees with potassium permanganate.

The appearance of yellow or silver spots on the foliage indicates damage by a spider mite. The plant in this case must be treated with an insecticide.

Buttercup breeding methods

by the most in a simple way reproduction is the division of the roots. During the growth around the main tuber, many additional baby roots are formed, from each of them you can get an additional flower bush.

It is quite difficult to get new plants from seeds. because their germination rate is quite low. Sowing is carried out at the end of February in boxes filled with a mixture of earth and peat or sand. Grooves are made in the soil, seeds are laid out and sprinkled with a layer of soil no higher than 2 cm.

The first two weeks, boxes with crops are kept at a temperature of 10-15 degrees. The soil must be constantly moist, as even slight drying will cause the seeds not to germinate.

After three to four weeks, the first shoots appear. The boxes must be moved to a warm place, at least 20 degrees. Sprouts need the brightest place, preferably on the south window. In cloudy weather, seedlings need illumination with special phyto-lamps. Seedlings can be planted in open ground by the end of May.

IMPORTANT. Buttercup, grown from seed, will bloom only in the second year.

Buttercup as a decoration of the garden and garden plot

Buttercup is suitable for decorating any garden

The combination of buttercups of various shades can create real landscape compositions. In the flower bed they are planted in the foreground in small groups. You can also create bright color spots on the lawn from these perennials.

These flowers look great in pots, flowerpots and patio containers. beautiful combinations can be achieved when planting buttercups with decorative leafy plants, for example, with hostas. This flower looks great alpine slide combined with stones. Densely planted bushes along the edge of the flower bed also look spectacular. In this case, they act as a living border.

Features of growing in a pot and at home

Buttercups feel great not only in the flower bed, but also in a flower pot or flowerpot. Used for growing in pots undersized varieties, up to 40 centimeters. If the plant is taller, it is necessary to use a support for it, and it immediately loses its decorative effect.

With absence garden plot you can grow a beautiful buttercup on the balcony. The main condition is a sufficient amount of light and heat. Just keep the plant out of direct sunlight.

Capacity must be selected at the rate of 1 liter of land per bush. It is permissible to have up to three copies in one container. The pot is filled with a mixture of leafy soil, sand and humus (1X1X05). Potted plants require more frequent watering as earthen clod dries up quickly.

After flowering and drying of the foliage, the pot with ranunculus for the winter is placed in a dark, dry place for 1-2 months. This is the dormant period of the rhizome, after which a new aerial part will appear.

REFERENCE. Asian buttercup, after the leaves die off in the open field, can be planted in a pot and transferred to the house. When planting in August by November, you will receive a flowering bush in the apartment. Buttercup will bloom, with sufficient lighting, all winter. You need to place it on the south window.

Garden buttercups can decorate any area that will literally change with their appearance. Give them a little attention, and they will give you a lush and fairly long flowering.

buttercup ranunculus(lat. Ranunculus, from the word rana - frog) - a genus of herbaceous perennials of the Buttercup family. Representatives of the genus differ in caustic juice, which makes all parts of the plant poisonous. The similarity with frogs in these plants is manifested in the fact that many species of buttercups in nature live in water or near water bodies, like the mentioned amphibians. About 360 species of buttercups are distributed in the world, growing in the Northern Hemisphere in regions with a temperate and cold climate, but in culture they grow mainly garden buttercup, or Asian buttercup, its many varieties and varieties, decorating our gardens with flowering in the middle of summer for a month. These products of the hard work of breeders, amazing with a variety of colors and beauty of forms, are no longer similar to their wild relatives - creeping buttercup or field buttercup, which littered the crops of our ancestors. And all because in the middle of the 16th century, some types of this plant interested flower growers, and at the end of the seventeenth century, the ranunculus plant, as well as its hybrids bred by that time, became as popular as tulips or carnations.

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Planting and caring for buttercups (in a nutshell)

• Landing: planting seeds for seedlings - in early March, planting seedlings in open ground - in mid-May.
• Digging: in August-September.
• Storage: in a perforated paper bag at 4-5 ˚C.
• Bloom: June August.
• Lighting: bright light, partial shade.
• The soil: neutral, fertile, drained and light, but not loamy.
• Watering: moderate, regular.
• Top dressing: during the growth of green mass - 1 time in 2 weeks with nitrogen fertilizers, and during the flowering period - with potassium-phosphorus.
• Reproduction: tubers, seeds.
• Pests: cabbage butterflies, spider mites, nematodes.
• Diseases: root rot, powdery mildew, gray rot.

Read more about growing buttercups below.

Buttercup flowers - description

Buttercup garden flower is a herbaceous perennial plant with an average height of up to 65 cm. Its rhizome is tuberous, fleshy, the stem is leafy, branched, the leaves are tripartite, similar to leaves dahlia, flowers with a diameter of 8-10 cm are simple, double or densely double in bright colors: purple, white, salmon, pink, red, orange, cream, yellow - many shades, in addition to blue and blue, there are two-color varieties. They keep fresh for a long time in the cut - at least a week. But, despite all these virtues, the ranunculus flower is poisonous, so keep it away from children and pets.

Growing buttercups from seeds

Buttercup flowers are propagated by dividing the rhizome or by seed. If you decide to grow a buttercup from seeds, you should know that it is best to purchase planting material in specialized stores or departments, since it is difficult to collect seeds from your own plants, and their viability is low. Buttercup seeds are sown in late February or early March in loose, light soil, consisting of peat soil (one part), leafy soil (one part) and sand (half part). From above, the seeds are lightly sprinkled with soil, which is then moistened from the sprayer. The container with crops is covered with glass and kept at a temperature of 10-12 ºC, regularly airing and removing condensate from the glass. Shoots usually appear after 2-3 weeks, and then the container needs to be moved to a warmer and lighter place (about 20 ºC), and the southern window with direct sunlight is most suitable for this. If necessary, arrange additional lighting for the seedlings. In the phase of 4-5 true leaves, young plants dive into peat-humus pots.

Planting buttercups in the garden

When to plant buttercups

In mid-May, when the last night frosts are left behind, garden ranunculus is planted. The best place for buttercups in the garden - sunny or semi-shady areas, protected from drafts and sudden gusts of wind. Buttercups prefer soil that is neutral or slightly acidic (pH 5.5-6.6), nutritious, permeable and light, and also moderately moist, since buttercup roots can rot in too wet soil.

How to plant buttercups

At the bottom of each hole, dug at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other, pour some drainage material - sand or expanded clay chips, then place the seedling in the hole along with a peat-humus pot, and if you grew seedlings in plastic or ceramic pots, then transfer the seedling into the hole along with the earthen clod, fill the hole with garden soil, compact it and water the area. AT current year, unfortunately, buttercups from seeds are unlikely to bloom, but in the next - for sure.

Buttercup Care

How to grow buttercups

Buttercup care in the garden includes properly organized watering, loosening the soil, weeding, fertilizing, timely removal of wilted flowers and pest or disease control, if necessary. You will also have to make sure that the ranunculus does not grow beyond the limits that you set for it, and does not displace other, not so aggressive plants from the garden or flower bed. It is necessary to moisten the area with buttercups regularly, without skipping watering and avoiding waterlogging of the soil, since buttercups are very sensitive in this matter. As you can see, planting buttercups and caring for them in the garden is a simple matter that even a novice gardener can do.

buttercup fertilizer

During the period of leaf mass growth, the buttercup is fed every two weeks with fertilizers containing nitrogen, for example, Kemira-universal, and when the process of bud formation begins, potassium-phosphorus top dressing must be applied at the same frequency.

Pests and diseases of buttercups

Growing buttercups has another advantage: proper watering you don't have to deal with insects or diseases, as buttercups are very resistant to both diseases and pests. But if you overdo it with moistening the site, the plants can be affected by root rot, which is why it is so important to place a layer of drainage in each hole when planting. In fairness, it must be said that sometimes, in a very damp summer, powdery mildew affects the buttercups, the leaves of the plant can attract cabbage butterflies, and the roots - nematodes. If you find pests, use bioinsecticides to control them.

Buttercups after flowering

When the buttercups fade, their watering is gradually reduced, and when the leaves turn yellow, watering is completely stopped. In August-September, ranunculus tubers are dug up, dried to clear garden soil, laid out in a single layer in boxes and dried at a temperature of 20 ºC, then laid out on paper bags with perforation and store up to spring planting. All manipulations are carried out very carefully, since buttercup tubers are very fragile.

Types and varieties of buttercups

AT garden culture most commonly grown buttercup garden , or hybrid , or buttercup asian , or ranunculus asiatica(Ranunculus asiaticus). This popularity is caused by the variety of forms and the richness of the color palette of varieties and hybrids of this species. In addition, the Asian buttercup stands well in the cut. All varieties and forms of this species are divided into four groups according to the shape of the flowers:

• buttercup chalmoid, or African, densely doubled, in the form of a flower resembling a ball;
• buttercup French, semi-double, which has only two rows of petals;
• buttercup persian, undersized with simple or semi-double flowers;
• buttercup peony, terry, with large flowers.

Demanded varieties: Bloomingdale Rose Bicolor - terry buttercup white color with pink edges of petals; Purple Pikoti - white buttercups with a purple coating on the tips of the petals; Double Pink Buttercup is a densely double variety with close-fitting pink petals.

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