It sounds like a no-brainer, grow wildflowers, all you have to do is plant them and stand back. If only it were that easy. But just because a plant is indigenous to your area doesn't mean it will thrive in your garden. It's more than a matter of climate; wildflowers need specific growing conditions. Only if your garden can duplicate those conditions will wildflowers thrive.
Take for example the above-pictured sharp-leaved hepatica (Hepatica nobilis var. acuta). Hepatica thrives in my garden, but just a short ways away, it fails in the garden of Barbara Wetzel. It's not that I'm talented or a better gardener, actually converse is true. The reason has nothing to do with me and everything to do with my garden. For whatever reason (I suspect it's that my soil is more alkaline), the conditions that Hepatica need are found in my garden and not hers.
The odd thing is that sometimes, a wildflower will begin to decline, despite having performed well for many years. This is what has happened to Dutchman's breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) in my garden. I had it planted near the base of a tree, where it reliably bloomed every spring. Three years ago, there were no blooms, the buds had dried up. Again the next year, total failure, so I divided the plant and distributed around the shade garden.
Finally, one of the new clumps has produced buds this year. It's in a sunnier position than the mother plant. Could it be that the mother plant is no longer getting as much sunlight as it needs to form buds?
The lesson here is if a wildflower fails to thrive, try it again in a different location in the garden with different conditions. That might make all the difference.
This post is part of Wildflower Wednesday hosted by Gail of Clay and Limestone.