Oh Esjay-
Jay Cooke is a favorite location for my family! It has so many wonderful places to go visit and things to do- hiking-biking-rock climbing- kyaking upstream- fishing down stream- raging rivers- streams- woods- meadows- praries- you name it! I am glad you were able to enjoy your time there!
I have some bunchberries which I have been trying to make happy- but they are still stunted and slow slow slow growing. I fear my soil may be too dry most of the time- I have another hunch they are not happy with city/suburb life and the pollution found there. But- that is just a guess.
I hope you fnd a "happy-place" for yours-
Julie

Second the comments on Jay Cooke!

Up at my cabin, I have a lot of bunchberry growing naturally on the edges of a somewhat dry, sandy-soiled, spruce/pine/birch woods. They are not in the moist woods up there. I have not tried to move any down here, so I am not sure which element of their chosen location would be the key to success, but I'll bet some imitation of a forest floor would be a good start, ala leaf litter.

Lily

Forest floor I have! Wouldn't call it moist but I'd like to give it a try. Any chance you'd be willing to collect a few ripe seeds for me later this year? Winter sowing is calling my name.

In addition to adequate moisture and semi-shade, the bunchberry needs an acid soil to thrive. Note they tend to grow well near pines and other acid soil plants.

Like Julie, the ones I have in my perennial beds do not do well. They have chlorosis! No surprise since my soil PH is fairly high (7.0). However, they are prolific and form huge patches just a 1/4 mile from here where the soil type is more to their liking. They also do best in cool weather.
Jan

sjmarq,

If I am up there at seed time, I will surely send you some. They seem to be companions to gay wings and star flowers in my woods.

Lily

Here is a link that might be useful: Bunchberry in Cass County