They are not considered perennial here but I imagine that if you treated them just right you might be able to get them to come back for a few years. They are sensitive to our hot summers a lot like Anemones coronaria- which I have been able to get return blooms on (in fact they are blooming now). The big showy ranunculus are a man made showy bloomer which is more designed to be coddled in a cool greenhouse rather than planted in the ground.

Thanks! They looked high maintenance so I didn't buy any. I like tough plants!

In cooler parts of the country they would be considered low maintenance. Here our only problem is high heat. I have a bunch of them and enjoy them as another beautiful winter/cool season bloomers. Depending on the price they may be worth it. They bloom for a long time and usually don't cost much.

Not sure if this is true but Scott Ogden says in Garden Bulbs for the South that Persian buttercups don't like hard freezes. In either case, intolerance to cold or to heat, would rule them out as perennials.

I planted them and they were beautiful, but only a couple made it to the second year and none to the third. I would definately consider them an annual, which I don't really bother with too often. I planted them in the fall ( I believe) and it was a decently cold winter so I am not sure ifthe cold did them in or what. Maybe lifting them after the foliage faded like tulips would help. I'm just not into all that work and most things stay in the ground once they get there, for better or worse. -Ais.

John or Ais or anyone else who has tried ranunculus -

Can one get the roots/tubers at Home Depot or Lowes or Walmart?
Or they have to be ordered online? And will they do better in pots or in the ground? Can they be left outside in the winter or they need to be brough indoors?
And when should one plant the roots - now or in spring?
Having seen them in photos, I just want to try a few..
Thanks for any advice/suggestion..