I am sure you have heard about the trendsetter ranunculus! It has become known for its delicate rose-like features that fill any wedding arrangement with texture and elegance. It comes in a wide variety of colors and is perfect for the DIY bride who is getting bulk flowers! This flower will make you look like a professional as its presence in arrangements is a key fixture for professionals in creating the popular perfectly imperfect shape that is now such a trend.
The only problem is that they are more delicate than most flowers and need special care, hence they have become the redonkulous ranunculus! They require more attention than other flowers. Here are some suggestions that will help you take care of your ranunculus.
1. Remove all the leaves from the bottom of the stems, make sure that none of the leaves are touching the water. If leaves get in the water, it can cause the water to fill with bacteria which can affect the vase life of your ranunculus. Keep in mind that you want only to take off what you need to take off, so 3-4 inches of “luke-warm” water at the bottom of the vase is just fine (no need to fill her to the top)
3. Cut about one inch of the bottom on a diagonal to make it easier for the flower to draw up water. Use floral shears or a sharp knife, something that is not sharp enough will damage the stem and make the vase life decrease!
2. They need a pep talk, aka give them floral food or put a small amount of sugar in the water to liven them up. Make sure they are in a cool place out of the direct sunlight. Keep in mind that ranunculus have NATURALLY curly stems, they are not dying. This is their hollow stem nature!
3. Make sure to change their water every other day!
4. In order to use them in a bouquet, you may need to use wire to straighten them the hollow curly stems. A 21 gauge wire will work. You can either push the wire through the center of the stem from the bottom to the head, or you can tap wire to the stem from top to bottom to make a more sturdy straight look. To go for a more wildflower imperfect look leave the ranunculus in its; naturally curly state.
The moral of the story is that ranunculus will be worth the extra care they need. If you need help or have any questions that are not covered in this post, I would be more than happy to help! Just leave a comment.
Diana DeVito
Diana has crafted hundreds of flower recipes and floral-design tutorials for Blooms By The Box to the delight of its customers. A skilled and vibrant designer, Diana helps Blooms Brides make their wedding flower dreams come true, no matter what the budget. Her original tutorials appear on many popular wedding sites, including A Practical Wedding,Elizabeth Anne Designs, and many more!
I am having an August wedding and I would like to use ranunculus for my centerpieces and possibly my bouquet/boutonnieres. Any advice or ideas?
Of course! They are beautiful flowers and perfect for all weddings! The key to really keeping ranunculus fresh and most appealing is to keep them in water in a vase that does not really let them flop over. You will need floral wire if you are looking to make a cleaner finished look. If you want to go with imperfect shapes that are so popular right now, no need for floral wire! Make sure they are well hydrated and stable!
Ranunculus is my most fave flower! ^^ but i have a question on taking care of cut ranunculus. Everytime I buy this flower and do all the points you mention above, after 1 or 2days they will just drop at the neck area. The neck goes stale first while the rest of the stem is still freshly green. What should I do to prevent that? Thank you in advance!
Hello Irene! Make sure you are removing all of the bottom leaves and keep them above the waterline (leaves decay and bacteria plugs the stems)! This is very important! Use a rubber band around the top of the bunch of ranunculus to keep all the stems standing up right, if the curve of the stem is too severe the flower has trouble drawing up water evenly. Keeping them in a container that provides structure really helps!
Thank you so much for the info, Diana! I will try them 😀
At a friend’s wedding, they used ranunculus for the boutonnieres and petals kept falling out one by one. Is there anything I can do to prevent this?
Make the boutonniere’s and corsages the day of the wedding. This way they are not out of water for an extended period of time. The key is hydration! If you need to make them the day before the wedding, leave the stems a little long and keep the boutonniere in a plastic cup with a little bit of water at the bottom, then cut stems to length the day of the wedding! Hydration, hydration, hydration :). Hope this helps.
I’m extremely impressed along with your writing talents
and also with the structure to your blog. Is that this
a paid subject matter or did you modify it yourself?
Either way stay up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to see a nice blog like this one these days..
Hi,
We are thinking about adding rannunculus to a driftwood and succule t table decoration – just stems strategically placed. How long can they stay out of water?
Hi Lynn! That depends on where the arrangements will be (outside in the sun, inside in air conditioning, etc.). But it is safe to say if you have the ranunuclus hydrating up until you put them in without water, you should get at least 6 hours without them starting to wilt.
I have never used these flowers before and am very nervous about the longevity…I am using them for the bride and bridesmaids bouquets….how early can I do them for a 5 o clock wedding….it will just be hand tied bouquets…help
Gwen, you can do them the night before and keep the bouquets in water over night (without the ribbon or wrap on yet). Or you can do them the morning of. As long as the bouquets aren’t baking in the heat, they will be great for 5pm!
I am not sure where you’re getting your information, but good topic.
I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more.
Thanks for magnificent information I was looking for this information for
my mission.
i have this question
Hoy can i transport ranunculos .?
I am. gong to do the flowers. For a wedding Using. Ranúnculos bu it w ill be. out of Town. And how long they will stay. Fresh. If. I take care of them. I will appreciate. Your. Help
Tonnie
Hi Tonnie,
Ranunculus are definitely a delicate flower and should be handled with care, that being said, the easiest way to transport them would be in a vase or bucket of water. You’ll want to wedge them in somehow using a box to hold them up or some towels to ensure they don’t tip over in transit. They will stay fresh in some water for about 4 days. We usually recommend ordering your flowers for delivery 2 days before your event. I hope this information was helpful!
Hi ,
I used Ranunculus in a wedding a few years ago and they came to me closed. Is this the norm? I am doing a wedding for a friend and
I want to be prepared. Thank you for your wealth of information.
This is normal. We recommend ordering ranunculus 2 days prior to the event, to give them time to hydrate and bloom fully!
Could you please explain in detail how to wire ranunculus for my daughter’s bridal bouquet? Thank you
Hi Michele. The ranunculus may not need wiring if they are being help up by surrounding stems in the bouquet. But here is an example on how to wire a flower, shown with a lisianthus in a boutonniere tutorial.
https://www.bloomsbythebox.com/blog/diy/romantic-boutonniere/
How do you wire ranunculus correctly in detail please?
Here is an example of how to wire a flower, shown with a lisianthus in a boutonniere tutorial.
https://www.bloomsbythebox.com/blog/diy/romantic-boutonniere/
Thank you so much for all the information. You have been very helpful.
Hi there,
Do you know any tricks to keep the stem from tipping over and rotting without having to use a wire. I believe the flower of a Ranunculus is able to last verry long but the stem gives up after a few days while the flower is at it’s top.
Thanks!
Hi Vera! The best way to keep the stem straight would be to use wire. The wire acts as a support. You can also anchor the bloom against other flowers in your arrangements to help prevent them from sulking over. I hope this helps!
Can these be inserted into wet floral foam in arrangements?
Hi Maria! Yes, you can certainly insert ranunculus into wet floral foam! It is recommended to wire the stems of ranunculus as they tend to be floppy and may break when they are forced into the foam. We hope that this helps!
Hi,
I am planning to float the ranunculus bloom in water for my wedding centerpieces. My plan was to hydrate them overnight and then cut them just below the bloom and float them in a vase filled with water. How long should I expect these will remain floating?
Thank you!
Hi Danielle! A helpful tip would be to place bubble wrap on the bottom of the bloom to help it float. The bloom should remain floating for the entire event!
thank u for this interesting article
Hi Liebeszauber! Thanks so much for the kind words!!
I am planning to use ranunculus for my DIY bouquet. Your helpful comments above indicate to have them delivered 2 days before the event; however, I can only have them delivered 4 days before my event. What should I do to “preserve” them so they are in good condition to make my bouquet the night before my event?
Hi Jode! I would recommend to keep the flowers in very cold water. Cut their stems about 1-2 inches, and make sure to keep that water cold. Store them in a cool and dry location just as a basement or garage for example. You can change the water each day as well to make sure that it remains fresh. I hope this helps!
Hello – I’m hoping to use ranunculus in my centerpieces – how hard is it to put it into floral foam?