Persian buttercup: planting, care & hardy varieties

When is the flowering time of the Persian buttercup? What needs to be observed when planting and caring for Persian buttercups in the garden or on the balcony? Here, we will reveal some tips and present the most beautiful hardy varieties.

The Persian buttercup blooms in early summer and brings splendid splashes of colour to your garden or balcony with its multifaceted rounded flowers.

Persian buttercup: flowering period, characteristics and origin

The Persian buttercup (Ranunculus asiaticus), also called Asian crowfoot, is an ornamental plant in the buttercup genus (Ranunculus) and a member of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). It is suitable both for the flower bed and as a pot plant on the balcony or terrace. The Persian buttercup originates from the eastern Mediterranean and the Near East. In its wild form, it often grows in swampy areas. This is probably the origin of its Latin name, which translates as “little frog”. The herbaceous plant reaches heights of 20 to 40 cm and has a slightly bushy growth habit. Its sparsely branched, finely hairy stems bear incised, usually also slightly hairy stem leaves with a toothed or serrated margin. Underground, the Persian buttercup has tubers as survival organs.

From April, but no later than mid-May, the spherical flowers of the Persian buttercup, double or single depending on the variety, open in white, pink, red, yellow or orange and in many intermediate shades. They usually bloom for several weeks until they fade towards the end of July. The flowers have a diameter of 3 to 5cm and their shape is reminiscent of roses or peonies. You might have already wondered: is the Persian buttercup bee-friendly? The plump filled varieties are unfortunately not bee-friendly, as the many petals block access to nectar and pollen. Only the single Persian buttercups are visited by insects.

Persian buttercup varieties

Persian buttercups can be found in many different shapes and colours. Unlike most ornamental plants, there are no official variety names for Persian buttercup. In the trade, the tubers are usually offered sorted by colour. In addition, sometimes you can find the following classification:

• Turban buttercup (an old cultivar with plump double flowers)
• Persian buttercup (later-flowering cultivar; the flowers are less plump)
• French buttercup (cultivated in France; large flowers, stems almost leafless)
• Peony flowered Persian buttercups (cultivation from Italy; large flowers, similarity with peonies)

Planting Persian buttercups

Persian buttercups prefer partial shade, but they also do well in sunny spots. However, they react to too much direct midday sun by wilting flowers quickly. The ideal time to plant the tubers is in spring (March to April), once there is no longer a risk of frost in the soil.

Planting Ranunculus asiaticus in the garden

The soil should be permeable and rich in both humus and nutrients. If the garden soil is impermeable and loamy, the substrate should be well loosened. In addition, some sand can be added to the planting hole to increase drainage. Before planting, place the tubers in lukewarm water for a few hours. Then you can plant the Persian buttercups 4cm deep and with a planting distance of about 20cm with the roots down into the ground. Water well.

Growing buttercups on the balcony

Persian buttercup also thrive in a pot on the balcony or terrace. Peat-free potting soils such as our Plantura Organic Flower Compost are ideal as a substrate. Be sure to choose a planter with a drainage system to prevent waterlogging. To ensure additional drainage, you can mix a little sand in with the potting soil and place shards of clay on the bottom of the container.

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Tip: as an alternative to direct planting, Persian buttercup can also be grown in advance in a protected place and planted out as seedlings.

Persian buttercup care

Apart from occasional applications of fertiliser, regular watering and removal of wilted flowers and leaves during the flowering period, the Persian buttercup does not require any special care.

Watering Persian buttercups

Persian buttercups have a high water requirement and should be watered regularly during the growing season so that the substrate does not dry out. However, do not water too much at once, as in unfavourable conditions this will cause waterlogging, which will harm the tubers.

Fertilising

For lush blooms Persian buttercup should be regularly supplied with nutrients during the flowering period. For this purpose, a flower fertiliser in liquid form, such as our Plantura Liquid Flower Food is ideal for both the flower bed and the balcony planting. Feed the plant with fertiliser every 1 to 2 weeks via the irrigation water. The dosage is 3 to 5 ml per litre of water.

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Caring for Persian buttercup in a pot

If you cultivate Persian buttercups in pots, you should pay more attention to needs-based watering management. Potted plants are usually at a higher risk of waterlogging or undersupply than those planted out in the garden.

Tip: Remove wilted flowers of Persian buttercup to stimulate the formation of new flowers.

Overwintering Persian buttercups

In the right climatic conditions, the plant will grow as a perennial. In regions where winter temperatures fall only a few degrees below zero, the tubers of Persian buttercup, covered with a layer of foliage, can be left in the ground throughout the winter months. Young tubers and buttercups in planters, in particular, should be dug up in the autumn for safety and overwintered in a frost-free location to protect them from frost damage.

Propagating Persian buttercups

Persian buttercups can be propagated in two ways. One possibility is propagation via brood tubers. The plants virtually self-replicates from year to year by forming lateral brood tubers. These can be cut from the mother tubers with a sharp knife or carefully separated by hand in late autumn after the tubers have been dug up. It is important to separate the tubers in such a way that the cut or broken areas remain as small as possible. Persian buttercup tubers obtained in this way can be replanted next spring.

The second option is propagation by sowing. Sow the Persian buttercup seeds in the autumn or, alternatively, in the spring directly into the open ground or in growing containers. To induce germination, the seeds must first be exposed to a cold stimulus (stratification). Therefore, store the seeds for about 1 to 2 weeks at 5 to 7 °C. Then the stratified seeds can be spread on a suitable substrate such as our Plantura Organic Herb & Seeding Compost. Persian buttercup belongs to the light germinators and must therefore be fed with only a minimal layer of soil or only pressed down gently. At 15 °C and with regular moistening with a spray bottle, the seeds germinate within about 10 days. When the seedlings have formed 4 pairs of leaves, they can be separated and planted in larger containers or outdoors.

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Are Persian buttercups poisonous?

Persian buttercup is poisonous to humans and animals. All parts of the plant contain toxic glycosides that can cause severe symptoms of poisoning, depending on the amount ingested.