Creeping buttercup, ranunculus repens, is one of my favorite groundcovers. It's easy to grow and spreads well by runners, forming a glossy, deep green mat. In spring hundreds of butter yellow buttons cover the plants, followed by occasional blooms the rest of the summer.I received a start from a friend when we first moved here, and it thrived in my sunny yard. I passed starts on to a coworker who also loved it. Creeping buttercup spread madly in her yard--a shaded plot, I might add.
In my own yard, it was eradicated during the 2002 relandscaping project. My coworker was kind enough to give me another start last year, which I tucked in under my rugosa rose hybrid, "Wildberry Breeze."
Now that's an eye-popping combo: rich pink, papery rose petals; leathery dark green wrinkled rose leaves; shiny dark ranunculus leaf mat; and electric yellow buttercup buttons. So much color and texture to experience all in one small spot. It's wonderful.
Whenever the snow melts off, I see tiny new ranunculus leaves poking up out of the wet mulch beneath the roses: harbingers of spring, promises of buttercups. Ranunculus Repens photo by JulenaJo.
you are giving me hope, your efforts to beautify this world tells me that all has not gone wrong, this world is still a beautiful place to live, perhaps better than the promised heaven. You the women are the saviours of mankind.
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It took me a couple of years to figure out what this flower was. It just appeared one day and I couldn't figure out whether it was a weed to get rid of or a flower to encourage. One of my gardening friends called it "Grandmother's buttons". Cute name, isn't it?
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