Crataegus phaenopyrum , Washington hawthorn - warm/cold/warm germinator: scarify, sow 4 months moist @ 70ºF, 5 months moist @ 39ºF, move to 70ºF for germination. Acer platanoides , Norway maple , sow fresh seed @ 39ºF for germ. in 3 months. Aspin, your Crimson King is a Norway - you might want to research a little before planting. Vigorous surface root system and dense crown (shade) makes underplanting these almost impossible

I attempted to germinte some Fringe Tree seeds (Chionanthus virginicus) last year, and they supposedly require a warm-cold-warm cycle which normally takes 2 years, and I tried to shorten into one year. Collected the seeds in September 2009, sowed them in a milk jug and kept them inside the kitchen until early January. Then put them outside to get 3-4 months of cold. Despite that they didn't sprout this year, so I changed the potting mix and put them back outside for another year. I would have just done that in the first place, but thought it was worth an experiment. So maybe this coming Spring one or more of the seeds will germinate? Sorry I can't report any success with this type of seed - as yet!

Marsha, here's a summary of my wintersown grass from seed last year: 2005, winterwsown ornamental grasses: Roughly, the code is as follows: Cells sprouted/cells sown, # seeds per cell, Name, (source (SG=self-gathered)) - how sown, S= surface, LC= lightly covered 2/12/2005 Flat #14 8/8 cells, 3 Festuca glauca (Park's) - S 8/8 cells, 13 Festuca glauca (Park's) - S 1/1 cell, 30 Festuca glauca (Park's) - S 15/15 cells, 14-15 Festuca glauca (trade) - S 8/8 cells, 9 Festuca scoparia (Jelitto) - S 8/8 cells, 9 Festuca mairei (Jelitto) - S 8/8 cells, 9 Festuca gigantea (Jelitto) - S 0/8 cells, 9 Pennisetum 'Burgundy Giant'(trade) - S 2/14/2005 Flat #15 0/8 cells, 20-25 Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster's Feather Reed Grass'(trade) - S 0/8 cells, 6 "Bamboo 7-9'" individual seeds(trade) - S 0/8 cells, 3 'pods' of 2-3 seeds, "Bamboo 7-9' "(trade) - S 0/8 cells, 5 "Tall ornamental grass, 8-10' large reeds"(trade) - S 8/8 cells, 10 "Foxtail type grass"(trade) - S * was Setaria faberi 0/8 cells, 15-20 "Grass, tall & feathery"(trade) - S 8/8 cells, 5 "Grass, tall, reddish top"(trade) - S * was Tridens flavus 0/8 cells, 5 Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'(trade) - S Flat #16 0/16 cells, 9-10 Anthoxanthum odoratum, (SG04) - S 15/16 cells, 8 Anthoxanthum odoratum, (Jelitto) - S 4/4 cells, 5 "Quaking Grass" (trade, larger than B.media seeds, may be B.maxima) - S 10/12 cells, 15 Briza media (Jelitto) - S 8/8 cells, 8 Briza maxima (trade) - S 0/8 cells, Cyperus alternifolius (trade)seeds & chaff, sowed heavily and mixed in a bit Flat #5 cont. 4/Added 8 cells, Carex grayi (trade) for 2-4 warmstrat - LC Flat #17 16/16 cells, Carex unknown, small fine volunteers, heavily sowed (SG04)- S 14/16 cells, 9 Carex muskingumensis (Jelitto) - S 14/16 cells, 5 Chasmanthium latifolium (Trade and SG04) - S 8/16 cells, 5 Chasmanthium latifolium (Jelitto) - S 2/15/2005 Flat #18 16/16 cells, Cortaderia selloana (trade)heavily sowed, w/chaff - S 0/16 cells, 9 Erianthus ravennae (trade)w/chaff - S 0/8 cells, ~15 Helictotrichon sempervirens (trade)w/chaff - S 5/8 cells, 9 Hystrix patula (Jelitto) - S 5/16 cells, 8 Lagurus ovatus (trade) hulled - S 2/16/2005 Flat #19 0/8 cells, 6 Leymus (trade)hulled - LC 0/24 cells, 5-6 Liriope minor (trade) - LC 11/32 cells, 8 Luzula nivea (Jelitto) - S 2/17/2005 Flat #20 13/24 cells, 5-6 Luzula sylvatica 'Select' (Jelitto) - S 0/8 cells, 5 Miscanthus sinensis condensatus 'Cosmopolitan' (trade source 1) - S 0/8 cells, 8 Miscanthus sinensis condensatus 'Cosmopolitan' (trade source 2) - S 0/8 cells, 8 "Variegated Japanese Grass" (trade) - S 0/8 cells, 8 Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus' (trade) - S 0/8 cells, 8 Miscanthus "Unknownus" (trade) - S Flat #21 0/8 cells, 10 Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus' (trade source 1) - S 0/8 cells, 10 Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus' (trade source 2) - S 1/8 cells, 9 Miscanthus sinensis 'Central Park' (trade) - S 0/8 cells, 9 Miscanthus sinensis 'New Hybrids' (SG04 1st bloomers) - S 0/8 cells, 9 Miscanthus sinensis 'New Hybrids' (SG04 2nd bloomers) - S 6/8 cells, 9 Miscanthus sinensis 'New Hybrids' (SG04 full mix) - S 2/16 cells, 6 Millium effusum 'Aureum' (Jelitto) - S Flat #22 31/32 cells, 12 Muhlenbergia capillaris (trade) - S * was Eragrostis spectabilis 0/16 cells, 3 Pennisetum glaucum 'Purple Majesty' (trade)hulled - S 0/16 cells, 5 Pennisetum glaucum 'Purple Majesty' (trade)hulled - S 2/19/2005 Flat #23 24/24 cells, 9 Pennisetum alopecuroides (SG04)hulled - S 12/24 cells, 9 Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Moudry'(trade)hulled - S 0/8 cells, 6-7 Pennisetum ? "Dwarf Fountain Grass" (trade)hulled - S 0/8 cells, 5 Pennisetum glaucum 'Purple Majesty' (trade)hulled - S 2/20/2005 Flat #24 16/16 cells, 9 Sesleria caerulea (Jellito) - S 0/16 cells, 9 Sesleria nitida (Jellito) - S 7/8 cells, 9 Stipa capillata (Jelitto) - S 3/16 cells, 9 Nassella tenuissima (AKA Stipa tenuissima) (Jellito) - S 0/8 cells, 5 Tripsacum dactyloides (trade)hulled - LC Summary: 704 cells sown with several thousand seeds, 51 varieties. 308 cells sprouted, 43.7% Notes: Cultivar grasses like named Miscanthus and Feather Reed, did not, for the most part, sprout. Neither did 'Purple' Pennisetums, and a few of the unknown 'Bamboo' described trades. Cold season grasses seemed to sprout at a higher percentage than warm season grasses. I'll confirm this next year, and spring-sow warm season grasses, after wintersowing cool season grasses. Some Jelitto sourced seeds did well, others did poorly. Where I still have some left, I'll spring sow them next year. I ran out of flats last winter, and did no spring sowing. M.s. 'New Hybrids' have two distinctly different bloom times, but the seeds gathered from each blooming did not sprout at all. They may not have been ripe. The last batch gathered was a mix of both, and were left on the plants much longer. They sprouted, but not as well as spring-sown seeds 2 years ago, and direct-sown seeds this year. Clumping grasses: Festuca glauca cells were sown with from 3 to 30 seeds each. Today, you can't tell the difference between the clumps. Briza maxima, an annual grass, self-seeded vigorously before I harvested the seeds. Setaria faberi, Giant Foxtail, an annual, is extremely vigorous. It reached 5+' from seed, and seedheads were higher. To prevent reseeding, I cut it to the ground in early September, before seeds were ripe. It grew back to 1.5' and threw up new seedheads. Eragrostis spectabilis, traded to me as Pink Muhly, is a fantastic grass. It's got a gorgeous pinkish-purple cloud-like infloresence that lasts for 2 months, so far, and is very fine. The flowers catch moisture droplets out of humid air or rain, and glisten nicely. It also germinates beautifully (96.8%). Highly recommended as a massing grass or low border. Pennisetum glaucum 'Purple Majesty' was a real disappointment, but I'm going to do them again. I got no sprouts from 40 cells, 3-5 seeds each. Next year I'm going to try them again, in a variety of ways, from WS to spring-sowing to direct-sowing.

Gardenprice is correct. Think about the time of year and conditions the seed would be exposed to if it ripened on the plant and fell to the ground. Sometimes just sowing and keeping the pot inside for 4 - 6 weeks, then placing outside is enough. For seeds that lose viability if dried out long enough to store at all, I'll sow immediately, place the seed pot tucked in discreetly at the base of my pots with plants in summer/fall. I have a few permanently planted containers, larger size. When I water plants, I moisten the seed pots and they aren't forgotten as they might be if I put them under a shrub in a bed.