Laura & Dave wrote: > James Waddick wrote: > >> By a strange coincidence, I am one of the seed exchange >> co-chairs for the Species Iris Group of North America (SIGNA). >> > Also by a strange coincidence, I'm one of the member recipients of seed > from SIGNA, with a question!! Should the seed be planted now, or can it > be held until early spring. I live in the maritime Pacific Northwest > (Western Washington, USA to be more exact). Or is this one of those > questions that depends on what I have? I'm assuming I'm at the bottom > of the learning curve concerning Iris germination, as I haven't had as > great a success as desired, especially with the bearded Iris. > Well as webmaster for SIGNA I guess we have all the bases covered!!! LOL. But to answer your question, in my experience iris seeds benefit from cool moist stratification during the winter months. I live in Zone 6 (very near to Zone 5) and I plant my seeds in December or January so they can get exposure to plenty of freeze/thaw cycles and inevitably there is a flush of germination in spring. I realize it may not freeze in your garden, but I think the seeds would respond the same way if you were to plant them now. > I'd like to echo that SIGNA is another great group, with a very > informative newsletter, that comes pre-punched for a three ring binder > (I just wish someone would adjust the hole punch!!... hint hint). > Oh my! I never realized other people had that problem. Hahaha... glad to know I'm not crazy! Dennis in snowy Ohio (hey that would be a cool name for a town... Snowy, Ohio)