What do Ranuncular like best.

Depends which variety of ranunculus you've been given because the alpine varieties prefer sun, other varieties need moist soil and shade. Is there a label with a more detailed name?

We definitely need more info to help. There are ranunculus that need to be kept in an alpine house and ones you almost have to treat as a weed because they spread so rapidly.

As Mg says, some need a dry summer dormancy whilst others are waterside plants.

I do have trouble with this site, Sunnyrose. You sent me a private message describing your ranunculus that I glanced at briefly late last night and now I can't find it again! Anyway, I think you said they were bright, mixed colours? In which case, they're probably the 3 inch double flowered ones (which usually don't flower till June/July) but as they're in a pot, someone's probably started them in a greenhouse. If I'm right, they're tubers, half hardy, which means you can't leave them out over winter. You canput them in the garden, sunny spot, well drained but not bone dry, till September, then lift, remove growth, dry off a bit and pot them up in sand/peat mix and keep them overwinter indoors. Pot up againlate Feb/March and replant outside end of May.

What are they, Mims?

oh blimey, now you've got me, am gonna have to look 'em up in the big encyclopaedia, bulbaholic! the COMMON NAME (!) is Turban Buttercup (ho hum) but actually, they're R. asiaticus

Ah, refering to your blog, Ranuculus asiaticus I do know. I have seen red forms in Cyprus and believe that the Israelie ones are white. They probably get pretty dry in summer but I would not want to dry out a tuber completely.

Oh yes we definitely say in Cyprus - couldn't i.d. to start with :-)