Where are you located? The success in growing ranunculus (other than as an already started spring flowering 'annual') is going to be heavily dependent on location.

Zone 6a NE Kansas.... Too cold to be a perennial but I plan to start them in late winter in my greenhouse and plant out (under low tunnels) two weeks before our last frost...

I doubt the corms will be developed well enough if planted in late winter to be productive in spring. In mild climates, they get planted in fall for spring. In colder climates, they are planted in spring for late summer/fall blooms.

Good info! It'll be a new experience for me...

My only success with ranunculus (other than buying in-flower plants!) was a spring plant which went dormant and then reappeared in the fall. I took it in and eventually had a flower form early next spring. Even on its best day it still looked more like a clearance rack salvage but I was extremely pleased. Plant them now in the greenhouse if you're going to try them. They need lower temps and flowering is day-length triggered. Anything over 13 hours of light will start them blooming... and if they're not ready they'll just go dormant or limp along miserably.

For a winter grower in cool conditions with cool flowers I found poppy anemones (coronaria) to be a little easier, and dormant roots for them are also easy to find and inexpensive enough to mess around with.

I'd like to try anemones....