By Stephanie, West Seattle Flower Farm | Last updated October 2026
Short answer: In my West Seattle garden, ranunculus that presprouted in early October opened their first flowers in mid-April. My later successions began blooming in subsequent waves throughout the following weeks. I enjoyed ranunculus through mid-June.
How I know: I planted more than a thousand corms in waves from October through January and tracked every wave. The full story, mistakes included, is below.
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I cut my first ranunculus bloom in mid-April.
I had spent the previous week checking on it daily, eagerly waiting for it to bloom enough to add to a bouquet.
The bloom was from the first succession I presprouted in early October. The November-planted ones, by mid-April, had a flush of buds about to bloom, while most of the ones I put in the ground in December and January were still lush and leafy but doing nothing (yet) in the flower department.
So my ranunculus experiment worked: succession planting ranunculus in Seattle over several months does affect bloom times.
Succession planted in mid-December. Photo taken on April 20.
Turns Out I Was VERY Wrong About Succession Planting
Last season, everything seemed to bloom at the same time, so I wasn't convinced succession planting worked the way the Flower Instagram influencers claimed. (I'm growing more skeptical of viral flower hacks each season.)
Plus, succession planting works differently in different climates, so I wasn't sure how Seattle's mild winters would impact bloom time for ranunculus.
To figure it out, I tracked when I planted ranunculus this past year. I planted more than a thousand corms, spread out over two(ish) successions a month through late January.
If I was wrong, I wanted Mother Nature to rub my face in it.
Mid-April came around, and I had plants at every stage of the process —buds on the late-fall-planted ones, flowers on the earliest succession, and full, lush foliage with zero blooms on everything I put in the ground in December and January.
Photo taken in late March of ranunculus planted presprouted in mid-December
I also noticed some Seattle-area growers on Instagram had blooms even earlier than mine. When I asked when they planted their corms, they said they either left last season's ranunculus in the ground over summer or started their first succession in September.
For my next ranunculus experiment, I plan to leave some in the ground over the summer and want to try starting a succession in September to see if I can get earlier blooms.
But it's important to note that we did have an unusually warm and mild winter here in Seattle (in 2025/2026,) which might've nudged the timeline along a bit faster than normal.
Ranunculus variety: Tecolote Cafe
Succession Update: How Long Does Ranunculus Bloom in Seattle?
I started multiple ranunculus successions from early October until late January. The early successions started blooming in mid-April, and the later ones bloomed until mid-June. Once the weather warmed up, the earlier successions pooped out and started getting powdery mildew. For each succession, I got two to three waves of blooms.
I didn't fertilize once they started blooming, so I don't know if that would've increased the yield per plant.
Ready to get your own corms in the ground?
My Row Cover Trick
I'm still keeping low row cover on most of my ranunculus well into April — not because they need frost protection at this point, but because I've found it improves stem length. (Earlier in the season, I used row cover as insurance against a severe temperature drop, and to keep animals from digging up the corms and pooping in the flower beds.)
When flowers are growing behind something that breaks the wind, they grow taller. The stems get longer and more useful for bouquets.
I use fiberglass hoops (from Amazon) and low row cover to break the wind
I noticed the improved stem length by accident a couple of years ago (because I was too lazy to remove it after the last frost) and have been doing it on purpose ever since.
The hoops I use are (unfortunately) from a company that appears to no longer exist. The closest alternative I've found is fiberglass hoops that come in multiple pieces—they're fine and work, but they're not as good as the original. If you're in the market for something easy to store during the off-season, that's your best current option.
When it starts to get a bit warmer, I will swap out the frost cloth with shade cloth. That helps break the wind and keeps the plants cool on warm days, which hopefully also extends the growing season.
RIP: Pouring One Out For the Latest Batch of Ranunculus Killed By Me
I wrote a whole post a while back about how I managed to kill hundreds of ranunculus corms.
I've since discovered two new and exciting ways to massacre ranunculus.
Death by neighbor's cat
The ginger cat who treats my flower beds as his personal litterbox did significantly more damage to my ranunculus than I'd previously calculated. Pawing around in flower beds to find the perfect place to go potty, as it turns out, is an effective way to destroy corms.
Me and The Ranunculus Pooper
Fortunately, I'd presprouted extras earlier in the season and potted them up with the intention of selling them. Those backups let me fill in some of the cat-related casualties.
But oh wait, there's more: Death by Dehydration.
I can't blame the cat for this one. So most of those potted backup ranunculus — the ones I just praised for saving the day — died thanks to my neglect.
I had them in three-inch pots outside. We had several days without rain and some warm-ish weather. They dried out and died out. (Whoopsies.)
The ones that survived filled in the gaps left by the cat.
Let's pour one out for my latest plant victims
Learn More About How to Grow Flowers in Seattle
I send about one email a week — no Instagram perfect nonsense, no spam, just what's actually happening in the garden.
If you're wondering whether the ranunculus season is worth all of this work, it is.
Growing ranunculus in Seattle, and have questions? The post below goes deep on another way NOT to kill your corms — I've accidentally done extensive field research on this topic.
Read the blog post here: How to Not Kill Ranunculus
FAQ: Growing and Succession Planting Ranunculus in Seattle
When do ranunculus bloom in Seattle?
In my West Seattle garden, corms presprouted in early October opened their first flowers in mid-April, and the November plantings were budding by late April. Corms planted in December or January will bloom later — usually May or into early summer, depending on the variety and the weather. I don't have September results yet. Seattle's mild winters make fall planting viable in most years.
Does succession planting of ranunculus actually work in Seattle?
Yes, though the bloom spread is more modest than in warmer climates. In a West Seattle garden with fall-through-winter succession plantings, the difference between early October and January plantings was roughly two to six weeks of staggered blooms. The December and January plantings didn't bloom until May but continued into mid-June. The early planted successions began blooming in mid-April, but fizzled out around the end of May. Succession planting won't give you flowers all summer, but it meaningfully extends your cutting season.
How early can you plant ranunculus corms in the Pacific Northwest?
In Seattle, you can plant ranunculus corms from September through early March. Most PNW growers start in October. September may get you earlier blooms, and I'm testing a September start this season, so I'll report back with the results.
Do ranunculus come back every year in Seattle?
Ranunculus are technically tender perennials, but their return isn't guaranteed. This year, the corms I left in the ground over summer started sprouting new foliage in late September, so I know it can work in Seattle. I treat it as a bonus rather than a plan, and most growers either dig and store the corms after bloom or replant fresh ones each season.
Does row cover help ranunculus stems get longer?
Low row cover can improve stem length by reducing wind. It's not primarily a frost protection strategy at this point in the season — it's a stem length strategy. It is worth trying if you're cutting for bouquets and want longer, more useful stems.
Want to plant your own? Shop my ranunculus corms here, or see all of my ranunculus growing resources, including the other posts in this series, on my Ranunculus Resource Page.
