I haven't planted them, but my gardening guru, Miss Billie, planted them in '01 and they were beautfiful. In '02 she planted them and they were a bust. Go figure. I think she used fresh bulbs each time, treating them as annuals.

I planted some in the fall that are almost blooming. I have heard that too about keeping them dry during the summer. I plan to pull them up after flowering, let the foliage die back then store them as I would any other bulb. Don't know if there is anywhere where they can stay in the ground all year - maybe southwest and Pacific Northwest. Anywhere much further north of zone 8, they have to come out in time for winter. Fussy little things!
Theresa

Sure wish I would have read this thread sooner. I planted
ranunculus in Feb, here in the NO, LA area. They popped
up really fast. Looked great for a while. Some even
started to bloom. I was so excited. Then we got more
rain. We had alot in Feb, March, April and May. Well
they turned yellow and are gone pecans. They were
pretty while they lasted. I'll know better than to
try that again. Happy gardening ya'll.

Brenda