ranunculus corms. (Planting tips below)  
FALL PLANTING DORMANT CORMS NOT RECOMMENDED. Start in March & April for best results 
Growing ranunculus in northern Alberta. Simulate a fall planting, in the spring. Here are my tips to have a successful harvest. 
Store your ranunculus in a cool dark place over winter. Around the beginning - middle of April, place your ranunculus corms into some clean room temperature water stirring every 15 minutes for about 1 to 2 hours. Once they have plumped up, plant them into seed trays , cover with 1/2 inch of potting soil. The soil must be moist, but not soggy. Cover the tray with plastic to keep moisture in, and place into a cool, dark location for a week. Check to see if root sprouts emerge on the corms at the one week point. Mist if the soil is drying. Place back into cool dark place for another week. The goal is to have healthy white roots emerge from the corm. If you start to see green leaves emerge, they are ready to plant outside. 
You can plant ranunculus up to 6-8 weeks prior to last frost date under row cover. Plant them 3 inches of loose soil and amend with worm castings and bonemeal. cover with leaf or straw mulch. Water and cover with row cover. It’s okay to cover the green leaves, they will die back anyway. The goal is to trick the roots that it’s fall and they need to establish a healthy root system quickly. 
Note: if you see mold growing on top of your sprouting tray, you may spring cinnamon on top. Alternatively you may mistake with peroxide. 
Ranunculus take 90 days minimum to produce a bloom. The corms will go dormant and abort blooming if temperature of corm reaches 25°c. Planting deeper and using mulch extends the blooming season as it will help keep the corm cooler for longer. 
FALL PLANTING DORMANT CORMS NOT RECOMMENDED