Ranunculus hybrida Sprinkles F1 Violet Bicolor - Persian Buttercup

The Sprinkles F1 'Violet Bicolor' florist's buttercup, like all hybrids in the Sprinkles series, is a half-height plant compared to typical buttercups, very compact and well-branched, with very large bicoloured flowers. Ideal as a cut flower, it has excellent vase life. 'Violet Bicolour' produces round and double flowers with white petals, widely bordered by a rich dark violet. It is a small perennial bulbous plant, but tender, often grown as a biennial. Even though it is low-growing, its full and colourful flowers stand out in hanging baskets, pots, and borders in the garden. It can be grown in partial shade or full sun, in moist, humus-bearing soil, but it is quite resistant to drought.

The Asian buttercup Ranunculus asiaticus, also known as garden buttercup or Persian buttercup, is a perennial herbaceous plant with tubers native to the eastern Mediterranean (Greece, Crete). It belongs to the buttercup family, just like our Buttercups. This botanical species has produced numerous cultivars through hybridization, which are grouped under the name Ranunculus (x) hybrida. The Sprinkles F1 'Violet Bicolor' buttercup is a compact variety, not exceeding 20 cm (8in) in height, with early spring flowering. From late March to late May, each plant bears numerous very large flowers in very full cups, with diaphanous petals. These flowers measure 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3in) in diameter. Its foliage develops in a rosette. The basal leaves measure 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6in) long. They are pale green to dark green, divided into three deep lobes. It is a slightly hardy plant that can withstand temperatures down to -10°C (14°F). Its root is long-lived, consisting of several small elongated tubers, grouped together in a bundle, sometimes called "claw".

The Sprinkles F1 'Violet Bicolour' buttercup can be planted in beds, borders, rockeries, or pots before adorning beautiful bouquets for several weeks. In the garden, it can be paired with delicate and simple flowers like catmints, lobelias, anemones, bulbs like grape hyacinths, or annual flowers like love-in-a-mist. In a vase, it can be mixed with other varieties of buttercups in different colours, old or modern roses. By digging up the tubers in autumn to store them before the frost, this plant can be grown like a gladiolus.