Ficaria verna syn. Ranunculus ficaria.

Ficaria verna syn. Ranunculus ficaria. 

Yet another name change. Yes they are easy to grow and the single yellow Ficaria verna is weedy, but the hybrids when grown in terra cotta pots are lovely in the middle of winter, with their bright welcoming flowers, their bronze and silver dappled leaves, when clustering the pots all together they make quite a show. If grown in the garden they can and will spread and also hybridise. They need to be fed with a liquid fertiliser or granular food during growth, which is late autumn and winter and they will be coming into flower next month, as a lot have budded up already except Ficaria verna Collarette which is the last to come into growth and flower for me. I don't repot every year, but when I do I use a good potting mix, with some course sand or grit mixed through it and just a little rotted leaf mould as they are woodlanders, but they need to be well drained and they don't like sitting in water.

Ficaria verna Brazen Hussy, bronze, green foliage and single yellow flowers with a dark centre.

Ficaria verna Brambling, semi double yellow flowers and bronze, green and silver leaves. Much loved by pollinating insects and Bees.

Ficaria verna Collarette bred by Joe Sharman of Monksilver Nursery, Nottingham, Cambridgeshire, UK. Who has been breading quite a few new varieties, including a lovely double orange with bronze reverse called Monique and a double cream and purple reverse called Crimson Damson.  Ficaria verna  Collarette is a favourite of mine with its green eye in the centre of its yellow flower, and bronze marks along the veins of the leaves.

Ficaria verna double cream above and below, showing the lovely dark colour on the reverse of the petals. Green foliage with it's faint markings of silver.

Ficaria verna double yellow flowers.

Ficaria verna Lynn's foundling that appeared in her garden in Olinda, lemon and green flowers, with faint silver marks on its leaves.

Ficaria verna Orange semi double flowers in Lynn's and Baz's Garden when it was in Olinda, Above and Below

Ficaria verna Yaffle a semi double flower, with the centre of the leaf marked with maroon or burgundy, and the rest of the leaf is green mottled with silver. Thank you Lynn Mc Gough for the photo of Yaffle.

Plants for sale at Lynn's Rare Plants and Stephen Ryan at Dicksonia Rare Plants Nursery and is open to the public, phone  03 54263075.  Jane and Shirley Tonkin Bulbs or call Jane phone number on web site.

Our next meeting is tentatively on the 27th June at 2.00pm if we have enough numbers it will be Di speaking on her trip to China, other wise Di's talk will be presented again in November please let Fermi know if you are intending to come along. Precautions will be taken on entering Hall, there will be no afternoon tea and it is BYO cup and thermos or cold drink as no Hall crockery is to be used the kitchen will be closed. You will be met at the door on entering the Hall, hand sanitiser will be provided at hall and is a must on entering and two books for signing on entry.

The 25th July our meeting will be going ahead at 2.00pm depending on the out come with Coronavirus as we are hoping we can have larger numbers by then, It will be Greg, Tracey and Betty talking about their trip to UK gardens. I have been told it will be plant porn for all of us plant addicts, guaranteed 100 pictures at least, with plenty of chatter. We do hope to see you all at this stage.