Both anemone and ranunculus begin their life at Field & Florist as corms. A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some plants use to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat. Corm stems are internally structured with solid tissues, which distinguishes them from bulbs, which are mostly made up of layered fleshy scales that are modified leaves. As a result, a corm cut in half appears solid inside, but a true bulb cut in half reveals that it is made up of layers. Corms are structurally plant stems, with nodes and internodes with buds and produce adventitious roots. On the top of the corm, one or a few buds grow into shoots that produce normal leaves and flowers.
Each fall, our corms arrive dry and require rehydration before planting. During this process they’re soaked in an oxygenated water bath using aquarium bubblers for 24 hours. Afterward, they are packed into trays filled with moistened peat moss and stored in our cooler at 55 degrees for three to four weeks. During this time, they sprout and develop root hairs, insuring that each corm can produce a plant.
The first or second week of December, the sprouted corms are planted in our greenhouse and are kept watered throughout the winter. Ranunculus and anemone thrive in more temperate climates like California. To create ideal growing conditions for them, we mimic the winter in that region by keeping our greenhouse at just above freezing.
Within a few weeks of planting, they begin pushing through the soil and continue to grow and put on leafy greens for three months before bloom. During this time, our plants are fertilized with all organic fish emulsion and kelp.
