I hope that others respond to your question, since I wonder the same thing. I have enough plants to appreciate which are the more vigorous, but I still ponder some of the blooms. I think a lot is subjective,and since I am not entering mine in shows it really comes down to personal taste. I have some that I like because they face outwards and really show off their "inner selves", others I adore because they are nearly black. Some people want a star shap and pointed sepals, while othes want a nice rounded cup like shape. Anenomes, doubles, and picotees all have their charms and most of them are keepers for me. What I really waver on is color patterns. I've had a couple I really didn't care for, but then friends comment how lovely they are. I have a few people coming over tomorrow for a luncheon and hellebore tour, and I am really curious about how they will react to some of the new blooms.

PK, I pulled it up as soon as I saw the first leaves emerge. When I pull up an invasive, I don't merely tug and yank, I get my hand weeder (or shovel) and go down deep to get the roots. Merely pulling the plant up usually leaves too much root behind. Even in places where I could not get rid of every bit of root, I just made sure that I cut off every leaf that sprouted, which insured the death of the plant trying to emerge. Diligently removing emerging foliage on pesky invasives (such as alstromeria) worked well for me because the little brittle roots were impossible to dig up. Molly

Pinkmountain - I’m glad you decided to continue the discussion. I’m going to be dropping off the thread, but I hope you and others can continue it, if there is an interest. I appreciated the way you have shared your efforts to restore habitat. You are trying to do something about a situation that is really frightening. I realize that and am not really any different, I find it frightening as well and I’m sure we all find the world’s problems overwhelming. I can’t speak for others, I can only say that I have had lots of enthusiasm along the way to also do something about it. Have made the attempt with the resources I have. I’m still making the attempt. I could have used more support and encouragement at different times but wildflower and conservation groups in my area have other goals and agendas that don’t really reach out to people who are just trying to do what they can and need it to be made more accessible. So, I suppose they were doing the best they could and we are all trying to do the best we can. I just popped over to the Native Plants forum and not a lot happening there from my perspective. Not a lot of newcomers being nurtured. And Houzz has not even put a link to the Native plants forum and apparently no one there seemed to think to complain about that or to follow up until there was a link in the directory. A simple thing really. Everyone on this thread has made an effort and expressed an interest, just by contributing to this thread. I was enjoying hearing from members that I already know, how their interest is growing in natives and how that has been working out for them. And hearing from GW members I don’t know, like you. I started this thread because I met someone on another GW thread who was explaining how they had been working on a property for 4 years on a riparian area and I wanted to hear more and maybe see some photos. They had only posted to GW 3x and I thought a newcomer, maybe it would be helpful for her to see if there was anyone else here doing the same. It happened that she’s had trouble signing into Houzz, so she hasn’t posted yet. But the atmosphere on the forums here in regard to natives, I’d have to say it is challenging. From my perspective, any effort or interest on someone’s part in native plants is something to appreciate and celebrate and build on. People need to be met where they are and nurtured and encouraged by those in a position to do so, if that's at all possible. Maybe it's not. They have limited resources, challenging properties, time restraints, energy restraints, competing priorities and yet they still have an interest in trying to do what they can. They would appreciate being heard and supported. Certainly it is an approach that has been very successful over time in many endeavors to draw people in and encourage their interest and support. And this limited exposure I’ve had in the past week or so to those on GW involved in native plants, I’m sure is not the whole of it and maybe there are people here that are being welcoming and supportive. This is just what my experience has been as a newcomer to natives at GW this week. I am impressed by the scope of what you personally are trying to do. I share your sorrow over lost pristine natural areas and mature trees. I’m sure a lot of us do. I wish you good luck in your efforts.

I actually teach horticulture, so one of the best principles I teach is "right plant right place." Plants aren't all ubiquitous. Native or not, they are adapted to certain types of growing conditions and if you plant them in the wrong spot they won't give you the performance you may be looking for. Also they have growth patterns and a lot of people are dissatisfied with a plant because it doesn't stay the same over time. As a plant matures, it might be very different from the way it looks as a cute baby at the plant nursery. On the flip side, that small sapling will often take off and grow gangbusters out of its bigger non-native cousin if you put it in its happy place. I work with native plant nurseries all the time, many native landscape designs are stunning, but just as in decorating, for most folks the nuts and bolts of using native plants gets watered down and sold over simplistically to the public with the latest "hot" trends. Native or non-native tells me nothing particular about a plant in terms of how it will perform in the garden . . . kind of like "organic" which has totally become overused and meaningless. But I'm a details gal so it doesn't bother me, just background noise. Ironically, there are some wonderful native plants that never get planted or used just because they haven't had their "hot" moment in the sun, and other plants that are absolute crap (I'm talking to you Bradford Pear!) that everyone loves. But everyone loves them just because they are seeing them all over the place. When I was younger, I loved the native river birch tree, but you never saw it in any plant nurseries, European white birch was all the rage. Everyone had a decorative birch in their yard. Enter birch borers and all kinds of other diseases that this non native was susceptible and people grew to dislike them as they matured. European birches were only more popular than our native paper birch because the native takes a while to develop the papery bark, unlike the European and Asian species that are white early on. But then they peter out and end up looking sadder than sad just when the natives are coming into their glory. So river birch got discovered and now it is ubiquitous in suburbia. Another example is shademaster honey locust. Honey locust was a scraggly, pretty unattractive tree that one would consider a "weed" tree growing in the back or along an old fencerow, etc. But when the modern aversion to having to rake up a lot of fall leaves, and people wanting fast growing shade trees with almost no debris, the breeders got busy and now these trees are everywhere. Piet Oudolf is hot right now in landscaping, he creates gardens evocative of native grasslands, he's done a lot to popularize grass plants as a landscaping element, something you almost never saw mainstream 20 years ago. But his style is not for everyone, nor every situation, nor should it be. Much like "open concept" the question is what makes sense for your needs and the functionality you need for your home. LOL Jo, I feel your pain. I double dug my small SE PA yard garden with topsoil and peat. Suburban PA clay is a challenge, but it takes well to amending. Well, all soil does. Long live compost.