I'm jealous this year. Mine surged up after the peculiarly cold unsettled weather, presented buds in record time, then stopped growing (higher or advancing the buds)..and it's looked the same for about a month now.

I have no idea, but blame it on the weather, like everything else (like not having crocus blooms this year...they froze after an early warm spell).

After seeing posts here, I wanted to try this and ordered it for last season, but the nursery had some type of problem and they canceled the order. I looked this year, but didn’t find it available on the eastern half of the US in any of the places I checked. I realize that I am likely borderline for this plant’s hardiness, but I would love to give it a try. So I am envious. It’s lovely.

I am envious too. I have wanted to add this to my garden for sometime and sources here in the western part of the country are few and far between. I did do a special order for it at my local nursery and it did come in but some devious soul snatched it before they could set it aside for me!! All other local suppliers are sold out for the season so it will be another year before this wonderful native can be included in my garden.

I realize that I am likely borderline for this plan’s hardiness,

'Babs', I would bet that your US zone is quite similar to "my" Cdn zone.

(And I can't imagine a more stressful winter and April than what we experienced this past year).

I am thinking that these plants 'need' a couple of seasons of a not too extreme winter and spring so that it can get established.

I moved the plant in the picture a couple of years back to a sunnier location and it has thrived. It is my experience that it can take more sun than one (I) might have thought.

Oh, I have mine in 3/4 sun. They have been very happy there for the past two years.

Yup. You knew what I only recently discovered.

"It is my experience that it can take more sun than one (I) might have thought."

Maybe that's why the ones planted in a northern location next to the porch just sat there -- a very shady, cool location while the west-facing ones are fine.

I grow this in North Carolina. A little slow to start.

Gardens of the Blueridge sells it. A nice selection of native plants:

https://gardensoftheblueridge.com/

Patty

Mine is done blooming, but mine was a selection from, I think, Ellen Hornig's wonderful, now closed, nursery, Seneca Hills Perennials. Where the flowers of others are yellow, mine are chartreuse. It's a gorgeous, gorgeous plant.

Yes, I miss Ellen, I actually tried to track her down with social media yesterday, but failed. I would not put my credit card number in the order, due to lack of email security (lol), and would have to call her to give my CC. I could count on chatting with her for an hour pretty much every time.

I had my worst online nursery ordering experience this Spring. Ordered plants (4 Indian Pinks). Said to be shipped within 7 days. After I didn’t get the plants for 3 weeks, I told them to cancel. They said they can’t, the “digger” already has my order. After 4 more weeks I received roots in ziplock bags. Thrown into a box. Nothing else. No soil, no cushioning, no nothing. Everything looked dead, but I planted in pots anyways. Something is coming out from
the Indian Pinks baggie. Doesn’t look anything like rouge21’s picture. More like blackberry?

I did originally want to order from Almost Eden, but they have been out of Stock for a year.

Well Iris, bare root plants are not a bargain.

I can promise you that if you order from PineRidge Gardens, you'll get what you ordered and it will be a fairly substantial plant. It will probably be more costly than your bare root no-ids though, spigelia bulks up slow...so these are probably several years old.

I am affiliated in that the owner is a friend of mine of more then twenty years, met through the Arkansas Native Plant Society. The catalog indicates it's in stock (though she hasn't sent me any updates this year:() I do web site maintainance for her.

http://pineridgegardens.com/Perennials5.html (scroll down to spigelia marilandica)

Thank you, dbarron, I actually did order from Pineridgegardens this Spring, too. Did take a bit longer than last year, but she did apologize in advance and the plants I received looked great. Didn’t think of checking on this plant when I ordered though.

Well, realizing it's been more than 20 years since we met...well and I know her age, it's understandable (and I hope she doesn't read this or forgives me if she does).

I'm amazed at some people's vigor and go-getting attitude, and consequently worried when this generation of independent nursery people die off/retire.

I have tried this plant 3x with dire results each time. Does anyone grow it successfully in the PNW?

I have tried growing in houston TX area, shade, amended soil and it performs well first year but has never returned, sniff

A bit of a rebloom in early September:

Update: Mine have done well, this their second season in the ground -- still not as lush as Rouge's, but coming along nicely. Moving the clumps from the north side of the house to east made a difference; I think I might have lost one of them, and there is another that is barely alive, but never know I've had stuff I think is long gone pop up beautifully the following year like nothing happened... The ones facing west are doing really well, and frankly I'm surprised because I forget to water over there, and that SW corner of the house catches a good amount of sun and wind. I do have them near the downspout, maybe that helps.

The ones facing west are doing really well, and frankly I'm surprised because I forget to water over there,

My experience also ie not a foofoo plant.