Ps, I live in Maine, zone 5.

You can do it now. I've done it before. I heard they bloom better if they are growing nudged up next to an object. It seems to be true in my case. I'm sure they need adequate sunlight in early spring. Just be careful to try not to disturb the bulb when you move them. Try to dig them out keeping them in the middle of the clump of dirt. so to avoid root disturbances.

Make sure you dig down far - they are very deep. The way I understand it, they gradually move down as they get bigger each year and then finally bloom. They spread very rapidly by their little thready rhizomes - and I've heard too that more likely to bloom if they can't spread, like Jay said. You only need a a few in each place you move them, as they will then happily spread very rapidly.

It just needs a few years with more light. Yes, they do grow far deeper than one expects.

Yes, my patches of trout lily are quite old. We've lived had the house 6 years and I didn't plant them. I don't think the guy we bought the house from was a gardener, either. His wife might have been, but they got divorced. So, my take is those trout lily patches were planted at the most recent, 8 years ago and possibly they are much older.

I planted some long ago and never saw a bloom. And then they seemed to disappear all together. This year I see what looks like basal leaves in the area I planted them in. I thought they were shade plants? And mine have afternoon sun for a few hours, I think. I was going to try to move them, but where is the right place for them? I wonder if I am going to be able to provide a place to keep them happy.

They like soil with a lot of organic matter in it. The forest floor with it's accumulation of leaf litter. Ideally they prefer to grow under native m, deciduous trees that allow sun to penetrate them in spring, so the Erythrinium get enough sun for growth. They seem to like growing right next to trees and stones, and it's been noticed that when they are nudged up against something it stimulates them to bloom. I have 1 plant that's been in full sun for 2 years and is doing fine. They can take decades before they bloom, so don't presume you made any mistakes.

Thanks Jay, I had forgotten I even had trout lily until I noticed the basal foliage this spring. I think I will go back to ignoring it. [g]. Something with a little more reliable results is probably a better direction for me to go.

You're welcome. I ignore my trout lilies most of the time, but I weed out the area they grow in, from time to time. In the woods they can usually do well against the surrounding, sparse vegetation, but in a garden setting they can be overwhelmed by other plants.