Gladiolus & Ranunculus in Early June

I have just purchased some Gladiolus colvillii (The Bride), and Ranunculus (Aviv White) bulbs from crocus.

I would like to plant these so that they are in flower the first weekend of June (for a wedding).

When is the best time to plant each type of bulb to ensure flowers at the beginning of June?

Also, any other tips would be most welcome as I've never grown flowers before (only fruit and veg)!

 

Any suggestions?

I have no idea, so any hint of when would be best to plant would be helpful.

Or, if anyone can suggest how I might find out, that could be useful.

 

Welcome to GC Paul. I know very little about either of these plants but I've had a look on the web.

The Gladiolus bloom between March and May so the bulbs should probably have been in the ground last Autumn. You can plant them now but it's unlikely they will bloom for the time that you need them.

The Ranunculus flower June to August, so again unless you live in a warmer area of the country I can't see these being ready at the time you need them. I would plant them as soon as possible in a frost free part of your garden if possible. These bulbs should be planted with the pointed parts downwards apparently.

I think it is rather late to be considering growing any spring/summer flowering plants from bulbs for this year. Have you considered growing from seed?

 

It will be almost impossible to get any plant to bloom at a given time as it will depend entirely on the weather conditions between planting & flowering.

 

Sheal - thanks you so much for your reply, it is very useful.

You mentioned growing from seed - are seed grown plants any more likely than bulbs to flower at the beginning of June?

JazzSi - that might be, but presumably there is an optimum window (of weeks or months) that will give the best chances. I have never grown flowers before, so any suggestion is far more helpful than my guessing.


I will create a new thread asking if anyone knows of suitable flowers that may be planted in March (or later) and are likely to be in bloom in early July.