Ranunculus ficaria

[mark smyth]

here are a few Ranunculus ficaria for those who like them
'Bantam's Egg' a tiny plant with full sized flowers
one of the 'Creams'
'Collarette'
'Green Petal'

[Hans J]

Hi Mark ,

Thank you for this nice pictures .
I have written to you before some days ( 15. March ) a mail with my wishes and my offer for a swap - but you never give me  a answer .
Have you not received my mail ?

Greetings
Hans

[Martin Baxendale]

I'm starting to find some interesting Ranunc. ficaria seedlings around the garden from the cultivated forms ('cos I never manage to get all the seed pods off before they shed!)

Today I spotted a nice cream-flowered one with blue backs to the petals, and a good cream-flowered one with bronze-brown foliage like Brazen Hussy (which it may be a seedling from) which is a nice contrast.

[mark smyth]

Just back from England. Hans I will resend the email. Martin can we see photos of your seedlings? I have one which will not photograph. The leaves are almost true black which shine purple in sunlight an effect seen on Rook feathers

[Martin Baxendale]

Mark, I'll post a photo or two when Ivi gets back with the camera later today. She and the camera (and boy offspring) have been away for the weekend.

[Joakim B]

Just a comment
How come they started doing breeding with what is almost considered a weed (atleast in Sweeden)?!
I agree that the plants are intesting and nice but I am stll curios why someone started with it.
Kind regards
Joakim

[Carlo]

Breeding with Ranunculus ficaria probably started BECAUSE it is weedy (let's say EASY TO GROW), beautiful and exhibits a fair amount of natural variation (see posts above) that results in clones that are interesting in their own right.

Carlo

[Hans J]

....but I am stll curios why someone started with it.

Joakim :
As we in Germany say : "Wat dem en sin Uhl is dem annan sin Nachtigal"
It means : "What for one is a owl is for the other a nigthingale"

Greetings
Hans

[Martin Baxendale]

Joakim, I don't think anyone has actually bred Ranunculus ficaria. The cultivated forms are just selected forms discovered mostly in the wild - especially double-flowered forms and forms with attractive dark leaves or nicely marked leaves.

The problem is, as you say, that they can be quite 'weedy' plants, spreading fast by seed and tiny tubers. Even the selected forms seed, as can some of the doubles. And a lot of the seedlings are 'ordinary' R. ficaria.

Personally, I love even the ordinary form. But they can be a real problem in the garden. I try to pull the seed heads off, but always miss some.

[Joakim B]

Thanks for the information.
We have some (of the ordinary form) and it in a part where they can be but when planting anything else there they are just dug up with out any mercy but there more there so they are never even close to extinction.

Martin I bet You are glad that some seedheads where missed as it resulted in the above mentioned seedling.
Do You grow them in a container in the ground to minimy the spread or are You just happy it spread and let it do so?

Maybe this is similar as with the wood anemone, Anemone nemorosa, that is borderline on a weed but have nice cultivar forms. We have both wild forms and bought cultivars, so who knows maybe one day we will look for nice cultivars of R. ficara to plant in the garden aswell?!
I did not mean/meen to put the R.ficaria down, I were just interested why it stared and now I know! Thanks

Kind regards
Joakim

[Martin Baxendale]

Joakim, it's okay, I agree with you, Ranunculus ficaria can become a real problem. I like to see the flowers (so cheerful in the early spring) but the plants get everywhere and are impossible to weed out without leaving some tiny bulbils behind to grow again! I love it and I also hate it! It's a bit like dandelion, a beautiful flower but I don't want a garden full of it. 

[Martin Baxendale]

Mark, here are pics of some of my cream-flowered R. ficaria seedlings with dark leaves:

[mark smyth]

Very nice Martin.

I have a seedling also with nicely marked backs of the petals. I've emailed the National Collection holder to see what he says. It could be seen often

[Martin Baxendale]

Mark, here's the blue tint I get on the backs of my cream Ranunc. ficaria seedlings. I like it - a nice combination with the cream.

[Martin Baxendale]

And here's a double-flowered form, it may be one of the doubles I've bought over the years or a seedling from them. I'll have to dig deeper for a label - couldn't find one with just my finger-tips today.