Joanna Gaines Took A 'Risk' On This Spring Flower - And Was Completely Won Over

Sometimes gardening is about stepping outside your comfort zone and experimenting with growing new plants. And for HGTV star Joanna Gaines that experiment more than paid off, providing her with a garden of stunning spring blooms. Despite her lack of experience with growing ranunculus, Gaines shared in Magnolia Journal that the flowers "completely won [her] over." One of their features that especially impressed her was how early in spring they popped up and began blooming. This, paired with how gorgeous the they are, has persuaded her to add even more to her gardens. You can see the planted flowers for yourself if you visit her shops, called The Silos, in Waco, Texas.

Joanna Gaines' newfound love for ranunculus is entirely understandable. The cup-shaped flowers come in a wide range of colors, from whites and creams, to reds, purples, coppers, and yellows. These favorites are ideal for a cutting garden because they have a long vase life. They're also cut-and-come-again flowers, meaning they'll produce multiple blooms on one plant. Ranunculus are deer resistant as well, so you don't need to worry about finding a fenced area to grow them in.

While you may be able to purchase ranunculus as live plants, you'll have access to a wider variety at a better price if you instead purchase corms. Gardeners in warmer zones can plant their corms in autumn, while those in USDA Hardiness Zone 7 and lower should wait until spring to plant. Once you have your corms, here's how to plant them!

Once you've purchased your corms, you need to make sure you have an appropriate place to plant them. Ranunculus thrive in full sun locations where they can get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. They also require fertile and well-draining soil. If necessary, you can amend your soil with compost to improve both the drainage and the fertility.

Before planting your ranunculus, it's a good idea to soak them for four hours. Some people also opt to sprout their corms indoors if they have a dark and cool place for them. To sprout them indoors, put the corms in damp growing media "legs" down, cover them with more potting mix, and leave them for about two weeks. If you're planting your ranunculus in spring, you don't have to wait until after your last frost to plant them out, but be sure to wait until temperatures are above 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once ranunculus are sprouting in your garden, it's important to stay on top of watering them to keep their soil moist. During cool spring months, they should provide you with a bounty of blooms. They'll then die back in the heat of the summer. Gardeners in zones 7 and lower can lift the corms once the foliage dies, while those in warmer zones can simply stop watering and leave their ranunculus in the ground for the next spring.