Flower Friday - Ranunculus

I like anything with a good legend behind it, and so it was interesting to find out facts about this week's flower - Ranunculus. (Hmm...the more I stare at the word "ranunculus", the more I have to check the spelling.)

Native American legend has it that Coyote was playing around with his eyes, throwing them up in the air for fun, (you know, as everyone likes to do now and then) when Eagle comes out of nowhere, grabbing them and flying away. Coyote was in desperate need of new eyes, so he takes two flowers from a field (these being buttercups, AKA ranunculus) and these become his eyes. Hey, I like his resourcefulness.

Hmmm, Wile E. Coyote's eyes - I see the resemblance...

We love using ranunculus in weddings, it being such a beautiful flower that comes in so many different colors - white, pink, red, yellow, orange - anytime you need something bright and beautiful, it's a good choice. Their dense layers of thin petals help create a romantic look throughout an arrangement and they also last about a week, which is great.

There are around 500 species in the genus Ranunculus including water crowfoots and buttercups. You're probably familiar with buttercups as they grow out in the wild plentifully. A species that is widely used in the florist industry is Ranunculus asiaticus. Below is a comparison, the common and the cultivated:

Here's an interesting article about how they're grown.

A few of the ways we've used them in past weddings/events:

Love using individual flowers in bottles - along with these tulips, it made for a vibrant collection at this wedding. (Shout-out Kate & Robin - I believe this was yours...;)

Love the contrast of the white ranunculus with the burgundy gerbera daisies and gold accents. And along with white garden roses & hydrangeas in this bouquet.