Eranthis hyemalis in Sonoma County
Jane McGary (Sun, 18 Oct 2015 12:53:09 PDT)

On 10/18/2015 12:43 PM, S. R. Gilbert via pbs wrote:

Probably very foolishly, I bought one hundred Eranthis bulbs and must now do my best with them in my Petaluma garden. Winters in Petaluma are mild, with temperatures seldom dipping below freezing, and daytime highs mostly in the sixties. What advice can you offer to this Eranthis novice?

I hope Sam has not planted them yet, because the first thing to do is
soak them in room-temperature water overnight in order to rehydrate the
tubers (not bulbs), which suffer in storage. (This improves success with
any Eranthis, Ranunculus, or Anemone tubers bought from a commercial
source.) After that, if you can, plant them in the open or under a
deciduous tree or shrub, where they will experience the most temperature
variation. Eranthis do well in Portland growing in turf, but I haven't
tried them in that situation yet because their foliage persists past the
time when I need to mow the bulb lawn.

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA