Like A Miniature Sun.

[leene_chan]

Like A Miniature Sun., a photo by Leenechan on Flickr.

This flower is so pretty! It's hard to believe that until only a few weeks ago, I had never even heard of Persian Buttercups.

In spite of that long stretch of near 80-degree weather, we've been having a freeze pretty much every other night. Which means that we have to keep running out in the evening to cover all the roses and peonies that leafed out too early. The two veteran tree peonies have been holding up very well. To think that last year we thought we were going to lose this spring's flowers to that fungal infection!

Of our new peonies, it seems that only Buckeye Belle wants to bloom this year. I thought that Bartzella was a guarantee, but I'm not seeing any flower buds on the new growth...I guess the division we got last year was just too small.

Paula Fay has four buds this year instead of two. What a slow grower!

I hope that floribunda rose Moondance doesn't have such a problem with thrips this year, because it has grown HUGE.

I see new buds in the poppy anemone pots. Looks like one is a double white flower. Neat!

I gotta tell you, it's not too nice for the rest of the country, but I am THRILLED at the prospect of an El Nino this year. I'm tired of New England getting raped by tornadoes and hurricanes. La Nina is an absolute nightmare for the Northeast, and it had gone on for too long. We deserve a break!

Comments

[gothiclibrarian.livejournal.com]

Tell me more about these buttercups.

Do they come in pink or white? Links?

[leene-chan.livejournal.com]

Here's are two pages with some basic planting info:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5128404_plant-persian-buttercups.html

http://www.ehow.com/facts_7492757_giant-ranunculus.html

I'm pretty new to them, but I know that unless you live in Zone 8 or above, you have to dig them up every fall and replant them in the spring, like a dahlia or a gladiolus. I haven't seen the corms sold anywhere online, but maybe I'm not looking hard enough?

I've seen pictures of them in pink and white, but my local nursery only had them in yellow. They're especially gorgeous in pink! I've heard that some people on the West Coast have found them for sale at Home Depot. I don't know if they're becoming more common in other places, or if they were just a lucky find.

[gothiclibrarian.livejournal.com]

Hmm...I have a feeling my alkaline clay soil would be inhospitable to them, sadly :*(

So pretty!

[leene-chan.livejournal.com]

Aw...I'm going to grow mine in a pot. I think they suggest that, anyway.

Oh, if I could only find those glorious pink ones...