How to Arrange Ranunculus

Outdoor Garden Bed

• 1

  Pull weeds and remove debris from an outdoor garden site that receives full sunlight and contains fast-draining soil. Spread a 2- to 4-inch-deep layer of compost over the ground with a rake. Mix the compost into the top 6 to 10 inches of soil with a rototiller or garden fork. Rake the soil surface to make it smooth.

• 2

  Put the Ranunculus bulbs in a bucket. Fill the bucket with water from a garden hose, covering all the bulbs with water. Let the bulbs soak in the water for one to 12 hours.

• 3

  Plan to put rows of Ranunculus bulbs in front of nearby plants with a mature height greater than 18 inches and behind nearby plants with a mature height fewer than 12 inches for the best visibility of all the plants. Dig one hole for each Ranunculus bulb you wish to plant. Make each hole twice as wide and 1 to 2 inches deeper than the height of the corresponding bulb. Position the holes in a minimum of two to three parallel rows, alternating the placement of the holes in each row to create a bricklike pattern. Space the holes and rows 12 inches apart for bulbs with a circumference of 2 1/4 inches or greater and 4 to 6 inches apart for bulbs with a circumference fewer than 2 1/4 inches.

  Alternatively, form blocks of 12- to 24-inch-long rows, each containing an uneven number of holes. Position multiple blocks throughout the garden bed to create clumplike plantings for an informal, natural look. Fashion rows of holes across the entire flowerbed's length that run parallel to the bed's shape to create a formal planting.

• 4

  Place each Ranunculus bulb in its designated hole, positioning the pointed ends of its clustered corms facing downward. Add or remove soil from each hole if necessary to position the top of each bulb 1 to 2 inches below ground level.

• 5

  Fill the remainder of each hole with soil, tamping it firmly over top the bulb. Water the ground with a garden hose, dampening the soil to a depth of 6 inches.

Planter or Pot

• 6

  Fill one-half of a planter or pot with fast-draining potting soil. The planter or pot must have a bottom drainage hole. Tamp the soil to settle it in the planter or pot.

• 7

  Place individual Ranunculus bulbs in the planter or pot, positioning their pointed ends downward on top of the soil. Add or remove soil from underneath the bulbs as needed so the bulb tops will be 2 to 3 inches below the planter's or pot's top. Space the bulbs 4 to 6 inches apart, placing them in zigzagging rows in a square or rectangular planter or pot and in alternating circular rows around a center bulb in a round planter or pot. Position one bulb in the center of its container for a singular bulb planting. Put two bulbs side by side for a two-bulb planting, and position three bulbs in a triangular shape for a three-bulb planting, spacing the bulbs 4 to 6 inches apart.

• 8

  Fill the planter or pot to 1 inch below its top with the potting soil, and tamp the soil around and over the bulbs. Do not overfill the container or bury the bulbs deeper than 1 to 2 inches in the soil.

• 9

  Fill the planter or pot with water from a garden hose or watering can. Wait for the water to drain through the container. Repeat this process one or two times to moisten the soil completely.

• 10

  Place the planter or pot on a flat surface in an area that receives full sunlight. Choose an area that remains protected from strong wind. Position the container on a patio, deck, stairway, table or railing so that it sits in full view.