Transplanting wild plants

[Sasha]

I've got a north facing flowerbed that is dark, cold, wet and probably acidic. Not ideal for most plants. A couple of years ago I thought it would be interesting to collect plants from nearby coniferous forests and transplant them into this bed, as the conditions there would be similar to what they experienced in the forest. So far I've moved some twinflower (Linnea borealis) and some bog cranberry (Vaccinium uva-ursi). Both have survived, but have not grown much in a season and a half.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has tried this and what sort of results you have had. Any tips for better growth?

(Btw, if you want to try this, make sure the plants you take a common, avoid taking bulbs and make sure you are not collecting from a protected area! Just sayin'. )

[Kisal]

Around my area, people are advised to take only seed, and not to disturb the parent plants. One reason for that is that each plant is acclimated to the exact soil and microclimate where it has grown, and a mature plant may have a difficult time adapting to a new spot. If you take the seed and grow it in your garden, the resultant plants are more likely to thrive. That's the advice from our local wildflower society, anyway.

Perhaps the plants you moved just need more time? One thing you might do is have the soil in which you planted them analyzed, to be sure it contains all the proper nutrients in the correct proportions, and that the pH is correct for the plants. Just a suggestion.

[Sasha]

Thanks for the response. I hadn't thought of collecting seeds and sprouting them, as obvious as it seems! Probably because most of the forest plants here reproduce vegetatively for the most part (I think) so I wasn't sure if I would have much luck with seeds. But you make some good points about the mature plant having to adapt - maybe I'll try to score some seeds next year.

After posting I realised I should have put this in the perennials forum. Oops! Hopefully I'll get the hang of the various forums soon!

[Kisal]

This section works for all types of flowers, actually. There are many wild plants that die after setting and dispersing their seeds. I just thought you might be interested in growing some of them, as well as the ones you mentioned.

I love the forest wildflowers. I think they're just so delicate and lovely.