Ha, the squirrels probably planted them!

You're right about some wildflowers having specific preferences. We'll need to do our research, especially before buying $100 bags. I've read that spring beauties transplant well, but I've also read that their little tubers are edible -- which makes me wonder whether squirrels would just dig them up or voles would munch them. Trilliums seem to have quite specific places where they grow abundantly and other spots nearby where there are none, but with all the varieties offered maybe one has been voted most likely to succeed. Indian Pink might be worth trying... I did have 3 little plants, put them in a container and was enchanted by the blooms... but they were mistakenly left in the container over the winter rather than planted out, and they didn't return.

Rick, Dog Tooth Violets, Erythronium americanum, are one of the poorest choices for your conditions. In nature, they occur mainly in shady flood plains that have rich, deep, high moisture soil adjacent to woodland streams. Considering your descriptions of your soil conditions it is surprising that you have any surviving. Even when established, they are inconsistent as far as blooming. Your concern with growing wildflowers in general based on your experience with this species is unnecessary.

Rick, I noticed you have Snow-On-The-Mountain on your list. That is a common name for two species, Euphorbia marginata, a native annual, and Aegopodium podagraria Variegatum, AKA Goutweed or Bishop Weed. The former, being an annual native, is better purchased as seeds than plants (cost wise), and the latter is a horribly invasive non-native that is almost impossible to eradicate once you have it.

Yes, and I think Kurt helped me figure out last year that I have Bishop Weed (which BST caterpillars won't eat) rather than the E. marginata (which they like). Fortunately, it's contained in a small garden area between the side of the house and a walkway. I yank a lot of it up each year, but even so the other plants I've tried to put in that area (ferns, heuchera) are no match for it... it's pretty much a solid groundcover.

Rick, some further thoughts on your Wildflower List

Bleeding Heart – which one?

Blue Lobelia – assuming Lobelia siphilitica, don’t purchase as I’m sure I’ll have numerous volunteers this spring as usual, as will some other folks.

Cardinal Flower is more of a wetland plant and tends to be short lived.

Dutchman’s Breeches, and more so Squirrel Corn, are a bit finicky.

Trilliums transplant well in the fall, not sure spring is the best time to acquire. Not sure which one Beige Trillium is.

Jack-In-The-Pulpits are similar.

Violets transplant well most any time, but Bird Foot Violets prefer more sun, sandy soil, and moderately dry conditions, the most restrictive of the many Viola species we grow. Would definitely go in on some Halberd Leaf Violets.

Wild Ginger (Asarum canadensis) puts out new growth in the spring, but does not increase much later in the year, so you may miss this year’s main growth ordering for late April/May delivery.

In general, fall is a better time to plant spring ephemerals.

Snow on the mountain is one that we occasionally pick up in the spring.

The erythroniums were planted in a couple of the newer fern beds that I'm developing. Plenty of organic matter in them.

I have about 6 trilliums, all in the oldest fern bed. Depending on who comes up first, sometimes they stand tall and other times, they hide just below the fern canopy.

YOU WROTE: Cardinal Flower is more of a wetland plant and tends to be short lived.

David--So true...So true....My Pakistani neighbor has given me small clumps of it
twice. They just did not make it. Only the 1st year one grew nicely and bloomed as well.
Never again since then.

She has them coming up here and there. Tight little clumps of new leaves emerging.
I sure would love to have them again...
Maybe I should plant one at he base of my forever leaking gutter downspout???
NOT a great location, though. N. facing shade and smack against a couple of evergreen shrubs.
There is NO sun at the front of my house!!! Too bad! There are NO tree roots in the front..
Need to switch sides....
The back yard is so dry and compacted due to all the Maple roots ,
G.

Thanks for your advice, David. Putting "get trilliums" on my fall gardening list...

Ditto what David said about Lobelia siphilitica...I expect to have volunteers to share this spring. I should have Lobelia cardinalis as well. I had a few huge, healthy L. cardinalis this year and let them self-seed

I planted a number of woodland natives last year, and hope some come back. Many of them disappeared shortly after I planted them, but perhaps some did so because they were ephemerals. Again,

I have a nice patch of Dutchman's breeches, just love them. I'm going to have to encourage more Jack in the pulpit, a lot of ours died out. I'm ordering something that may be a hand saver.

any extended use of pruners or even scissors leaves my hands in bad shape for days. Interesting that the best selection of powered pruners come from Japan where gardening is an art form and France where the grape vine is.

I have the Aegopodium podagraria Variegatum

We had a lot of Jack in the Pulpit and I gave quite a lot of it away and then all of a sudden there weren't many coming up. I haven't shared any the last few years and my numbers are starting to come back again.

Ric, I think you were the one who encouraged me to try pruning with a sawsall (reciprocating saw... mine's a bosch). I got a *really* good japanese pruning blade for it from Lee Valley, and it's been a real hand/arm saver. LMK how your new tools work out. Jim has a corded electric trimmer (with a blade like a sawfish's snout, bottom of your image), but I find it rather unwieldy.

For the heavier stuff I either use my Ryobi cordless saws all or my Fiskars sprocket drive loppers. It's the endless trimming that is the worst, like removing suckers from an apple or pruning back old growth on stuff like hellebore.

I use the grab-yank-snap method of trimming old leaves and dead growth. I've been known to use my electric saw on thin little branches (like fruit tree suckers or re-sprouts from tree stumps), too. Still, looking forward to your report! I saw a note from Zuzu on the rose forum about a pruner she likes:

"
I used to have painful wrists at pruning time, but then I discovered a delightfully ergonomic garden tool -- the Fiskars PowerGear Bypass Pruner. I can now snip and cut all day without ever feeling it in my wrist. Unfortunately, it's becoming difficult to find. The company put out an "improved" model -- the PowerGear 2 -- and it's vastly inferior to the older model. It's too big for my hand, it slips out of gear if the branch is too thick, it often sticks and won't open all the way, and it occasionally pinches the skin on my hand when it lets go of the branch."

Found them on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007HZCR3E/

I also saw that Fiskars now manufactures in China, but there were a lot of "great!" reviews and only a few "junk!" ones (maybe there was a bad batch).

(oh, and Zuzu prunes on the order of 2000, yes 2K, roses each year)

@RickM, I'd LOVE to get some Wintergreen in bulk. Those things take forever to spread and I'd love a quick little groundcover of it. They so great in shade, if you're interested in splitting. Otherwise, what the name of the nursery? I could maybe use 100 myself Also, I saw a lot of violets on the list, but I didn't recognise the names. Were any of them sweet violet (V. Odorata)? That's another one I've been hunting for

We tried to establish Wintergreen (teaberry) quite a long time ago with poor results. Ours came from a friends property where it's native. So it was fresh. We also tried Princess pine or Lycopodium obscurum, also a local native with the same results. Possibly bringing more of the leaf duff and top soil along would improve the results by creating the same microenviorment.

That's a good point Ric. Spotted wintergreen, which I have in a few places around the yard, is one of those that develops a symbiotic relationship with it's location. In order to move or propagate it, I have to take some of the surrounding soil. Not much, just enough to inoculate the new spot or pot.

Mike, I went through the violets, and none are listed as V odorata. (Each one has to be brought up separately to get the latin name )

I'm definitely interested in splitting some wintergreen. (T-Mail)

I liked today's article about using Epsom salts. Good information plus some trial results. I'm sold.I know Gita always uses it on her roses.

Yes, i do! Because Allan Summers said so!
He said to apply Epsom Salts once--with your first fertilizing of Roses--when the Forsythias bloom. He said it promotes new canes to grow from the base of the rose.

yes! it does! it has never failed me yet.
I mixed the Epsom Salts in with my Rose Tone fertilizer. Less work to do it all as one...

My saddest rose I own is s single-stemmed (name??...salmony pink--) that lives in my Yuk Bed among serous roots. It always blooms once--with a single bloom.

My prettiest is the "Sweet Surrender" which is also down to just 2 stems--but keeps on going.
Must be the Epsom salts....