During my four years of high school Latin, I’m not sure I ever ran across the name “Ranunculus”. The name is derived from the Latin word “rana,” which means “frog”. The diminutive suffix “-unculus” was added to create “ranunculus,” literally meaning “little frog.” That name was given to these flowering plants because many Ranunculus species grow in moist or wet habitats where frogs are commonly found. You may have recall that our hilltop is not a moist environment, but the San Diego coast, specifically near Carlsbad qualifies. That is why we regularly plan a pilgrimage to the Flower Fields and its 55 acres of Ranunculi, usually when in full bloom. Our good friends, Matthew and Phillip revisiting for the weekend and it turns out that Philip has always had a fondness for ranunculus flowers. So if we went this morning to Carlsbad to see what the spring of 2026 look like on that magnificent hillside overlooking the ocean.
The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch is widely recognized as having the most extensive and impressive display of ranunculus flowers in the world. These are Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers with about 80 million in bloom at its peak (one week from now). This is a rainbow-like arrangement of flowers across a long rolling hill facing the ocean. The ranunculus Flower Fields began as a small flower farm owned by Luther Gage in the 1920s, where Edwin Frazee, who’s father Frank had an adjacent vegetable farm, developed the Giant Tecolote variety of Ranunculus. It has been a tourist attraction since the 1960s (attracting 200,000 visitors per year). It is now managed in partnership with the Ecke family (known for their poinsettias, which are in evidence at the Fields as well). This place is one of the most photographed floral displays in the world and has become an iconic spring destination in Southern California.
Frazee moved the operation in 1965 along with his gladiolus growing operation to the current site, land owned by the Ecke Family of Encinitas. Paul Ecke Jr. and Edwin were both dedicated flower farmers, which helped form a strong bond between the two men. While this is still an active cut flower, seed and bulb business, what keeps it financially viable in this valuable property location is tourism for groups like ours. I should note that the flower fields sit right next to Legoland, which is also a popular family attraction.
In 1999, The Flower Fields entered into a retail agreement with Armstrong Garden Centers to manage the retail store. This agreement allows the Flower Fields personnel to concentrate on what they do best – growing beautiful flowers for the world to enjoy and sharing them with visitors like us.
A ranunculus is a flowering plant belonging to the genus Ranunculus in the Ranunculaceae family. They have beautiful, rose-like blooms with multiple layers of delicate petals that are typically 3-6 inches in diameter when fully open. They come in vibrant colors including yellow, orange, red, pink, white, and purple and are grown from claw-shaped corms (bulb-like structures). The popular varieties are Persian ranunculus (Ranunculus asiaticus) – the most commonly cultivated ornamental variety, Buttercups (various Ranunculus species) – common wildflowers with shiny yellow petals, Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens) – a spreading variety often found in gardens and, of course, the Flower Field specialty, Giant Tecolote.
Ranunculus flowers are popular in floral arrangements and bridal bouquets due to their romantic appearance and excellent vase life. They typically bloom in spring and early summer and prefer cool temperatures and full sun to partial shade. The ranunculus is native to Asia Minor and a member of the buttercup family. Originally the flowers were single petal contact and ranged in shades of red and yellow. The beautiful colors and fullness of the flowers we see today are due to the careful selection done by Edwin Frazee over many years. If nature provided a full flower or an unusual color, Mr. Frazee would save the seed and plant them the next year. This resulted in full flowers in thirteen beautiful colors including picotee, (a mixture of variegated colors) that exist today.
The Tractor wagon ride around the hillside site hearing about the history and unique aspects of these magnificent flowers is the best was to see the fields. On a beautiful spring day the folks flock in to enjoy the bright array of colors. There are the gigantic south-facing hill of flowers formed as an American flag out of red, white and blue petunias (having some trouble blooming this year). There are a tightly manicured sweet pea maze just like Grandma used to have. The poinsettia greenhouse boasts over 20 rare and unusual varieties. The Illusion Garden is a nod to Lewis Carroll’s famous Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the Sculpture Garden features, lovely butterfly and humming bird glass and steel sculptures as well as butterfly benches and what are affectionately known as “pot heads”, meaning planted pots with Disney-like faces staring at you. The Butterfly Encounter with thousands of live butterflies landing on your shoulders and arms is very special. We ended our tour with a picnic lunch with a pass through Armstrong’s to buy some…..ranunculus flowers and bulbs.
I have been to the Flower Fields three times now and each time I have been impressed by the spectacle and the quality of this natural venue. Unlike one of the botanical gardens, which I have been to all over the world, the Flower Fields only have so many formal laid-out garden settings. Instead, the spectacle of this place is that it is one entire 55 acre hillside of colorful flowers laid out in stripes of color so as to make the harvesting of cut flowers, bulbs, seeds and potted plants easier for the garden staff that actually commercially cultivate the ranunculus plants. Ranunculus particularly like direct sunlight and the little bit of coastal fog/mist that the location enjoys gives whatever break and moisture they need, so they prefer this au naturale manner of existence rather than growing and living in a plastic greenhouse, which is the more common means of flower growing in this area. I once purchased a flat of 16 flowering plants of perhaps 8 of the 13 colors. Alas, try as I might, my microclimate is not so conducive as that Carlsbad hillside, so I will just have to return to the Flower Fields when I want another fix of ranunculus.