Good advice Clint.
I've had some difficulty with coneflowers and gaillardia in general but others as well. Heliopsis is a fine example. I had several volunteers from my dwarf this spring and assume it self-seeded as they were completely free from the parent plant. I did actually divide one by knife and planted it with another directly into garden soil with no hint of weakness or wilt. They're (all 3) doing very well.
I potted one small start in straight topsoil knowing it would be planted within days and another in a mix of mixes. The plant in topsoil in 4" square has not been planted as expected but it's thriving. The larger specimen planted in "the mix" suffers every day. It has good days, great days, and horrible days. It needs to be planted and nurtured soon or it'll be lost. You couldn't plant it for a stranger and walk away expecting it to survive.
I try to utilize the material my plants are grown/shipped/stored in but I tend to dig a big hole, expose a lot if not all root and get a fresh start. Hard to do with over-aged root-bound nursery stock but it's a similar approach.
