Hi Mark,
I have just found the following advice from Tony G. that works for him in Norfolk?
I haven't tried keeping them bone dry until mid-winter - I fear in my conditions here it would prove to be counter-productive as the plants would still get very poor light (in the gloomy north-west of England) when they did eventually start into growth in mid-winter.
My plants don't tend to get leggy or drawn outside (growth is retarded in winter anyway), but they do suffer from wind damage and this can prevent them being good enough for showing. Hope this helps (but it will probably add to the confusion)?
Here in the southern UK Ranunculus calandrinioides is easily grown
under cold glass. Sometimes seen on the showbench it is all too often
grown rather lax. This is due to the winter growth being drawn up by
low winter light levels. To counteract this grow it as hard as
possible (ie don't keep it frost free under glass) and give it as much
light as possible. I have also found that it keeps much more compact
(and much more beautiful
if kept bone dry until mid winter. In
this way growth does not commence above ground until early spring and
is much less lax. (Watered in early autumn, after a summer rest it
comes into growth well before Christmas.) Until this year I had only
the one plant but having raised a crop of seedlings I will try it in a
dry site outside one day.
Tony Goode. Norwich UK. Mintemp -8C
