Ranunculus asiaticus Romance Perigord® - Persian buttercup

Ranunculus asiaticus Romance™ Perigord® is a dramatic florist’s ranunculus, prized for its very double flowers in a rich, deep red, almost black when still tight in bud. The flower opens slowly, revealing many layers of petals with a texture like velvet and antique silk. It is a variety with long, sturdy stems, made for cut flower arrangements. It never goes unnoticed.

This variety belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. The species Ranunculus asiaticus, known as Asian ranunculus, florist’s ranunculus or garden ranunculus, is a tender perennial plant with tuberised roots, often grown as a spring bulb. Its rhizomes can also be lifted at the end of the season, before the frosts, and stored like gladiolus bulbs.

The Romance™ series was created by the Japanese breeder Aya Engei. It is known for its large, very double flowers, long and sturdy stems, and good vase life. Ranunculus Perigord® first forms a clump of deeply divided basal leaves in a bright green that is somewhat like parsley foliage. This foliage is deciduous: it dries and disappears after flowering, when the plant enters dormancy. The flower stems stand well above the clump. In the garden, it reaches 45 to 60 cm in height and 20 to 30 cm in width within a few weeks. The double flowers measure 4 to 6 cm in diameter, depending on growing conditions. The very dark bud appears almost black. On opening, the corolla takes on shades of garnet red, brown bordeaux or wine-red, lighter or darker depending on the age of the flower and the light. The numerous petals are tightly packed, rounded, and slightly satiny. Flowering occurs from April to May, sometimes earlier in mild climates or in protected autumn plantings. 
For a very long time, the florist’s ranunculus has held a special place in the history of garden flowers and cut flowers: the highly double horticultural forms, so prized today, have gradually moved away from the form of the original wild flower.

We grow Asian ranunculus in beds, borders and even in pots on a terrace. The Romance™ Perigord® variety is particularly suited to cut flower arrangements thanks to its colouring and style. It associates well with powdery roses, greyed mauves, bluish purples, and also bright greens. You can combine it with Double late tulip ‘Finola’, Love-in-a-mist ‘Miss Jekyll Blue’ and Moluccella laevis ‘Bells of Ireland’ in almond green. It can also be paired with Hyacinth ‘Splendid Cornelia’, in a slightly bluish lilac mauve, very beautiful in spring flower arrangements. In the garden, plant your ranunculus in a cut flower bed, in full sun, in light, fertile, well-drained soil. Picked just before full bloom, it makes very refined bouquets.