Re: outdoor sowing of perennials


<<<<<Hello everyone!  Here's a question to start some conversation.  Who
among you has started perennial seeds in pots/flats/seedbeds outside over
the winter?  What works for you.  What perennials benefit from sowing this
way?  Which ones are failures?  What are some of the techniques you use? 
i.e.  screening secured over flats to keep out critters, etc.?  Would love
to hear others experiences.

Ginny>>>>>>>>>>

I start quite a few this way.  Escpecially since getting involved with
Alpines.  So many hardy perennials require stratification or cold
treatment, and I was running out of room in my fridge.  Plus, I get better
results letting nature do it for me.  One theory I read and which seemed to
make a lot of sense, was that melting snow has an oxygenating effect on
seed, breaking down the natural germination inhibitors.  Sounds pretty good
to me, but I'm sure that someone will disagree.  This topic gets beaten to
death with regularity on some of the other lists.  And since I'm having
pretty good germination averages, I tend to ignore the debates.

I would like to point out that the first success I ever had with Roses was
with tossing out a tray of Rose seed in total frustation.  I had completely
given up with all the artificial cooling and warming and wanted nothing
more to do with it.  Imagine my surprise when, after the snow thawed and I
went to discard the tray, I had about 30 little rose seedlings.  It's what
I've done ever since.

I have a cold frame with a  wire cover.  It's most definately not pretty,
but I couldn't function without it now.  By the middle of February I'll
probably have about 50 seed trays in there and I'll just forget about them
until late April.

keith, zone 5, WNY

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