THANK YOU ALL for your wonderful responses to my post! I always enjoy sharing my experiences and photos with you all and getting your feedback. It sures helps with the winter blues to chat about roses and you are all treasured friends. For those who wanted to know how I went about the seed-starting operation, I kept it pretty simple, and anyone can do it. After collecting the ripe hips in the fall I immediately dug the seeds out of the hips, making sure to get all the pulp off the seeds and clean them well. I soaked them for a day or two in water with a little bit of hydrogen peroxide in it then put them between moist paper towels which I then placed in plastic ziploc bags. They stayed in the refrigerator for 3 months. I did not have any sprout during that time so I simply sowed them in peat pots using packaged sterilized seed starting mix. As for the flourescent lights I used regular shoplights suspended about 3 inches from the pots. I kept the lights on for about 16 hours per day/ off for 8 hrs. I had some germinations in as soon as 1 week after sowing which surprised me, but most seeds took about 2-4 weeks to germinate. As the seedlings grew I just kept adjusting the height of the lights, but made sure they were only inches away from the seedlings. I wasn't sure how well the seedlings would do just using regular flourescent lights but they didn't seem to mind that I didn't splurge on the more expensive grow-lights. Because the set-up was in my basement, the temperature was fairly cool but not cold. So that's basically it, nothing fancy or too scientific, just a lot of hovering over the pots and hoping and wishing. Thank you Patrick & Jim for the suggestion and encouragement to join the RHA. I did pop over there as a lurker during my seed-growing upon occasion but haven't in a while since I no longer have my setup going. Someday I hope to get back into it because I truly enjoyed it. For now, my mom who has Alzheimer's is living with us so that I can care for her and my grown daughter moved back in, and I lost all available space. It's a hobby I know I will get back into when space allows. Once again, many thanks for all of your words of encouragement. Celeste

Trailer gal I got the seed from Nadeau African Violet Seed. There are mini's trailers and standards. you can choose which you would like or get some of all three. Just no names on any of the seed but they all grow! yea I am very excited to see how they turn out. I am going to Try and get some of the babies off of the stalk today. Nothing like trying something new in the new year right.... Here is a link that might be useful: AV Seed

I'm not familiar with their germination rate. I grew some about 15 years ago when I worked at a nursery in Vero Beach. They certainly were the coolest looking seedlings and plants I have ever seen. I had the joy of going to a nursery years ago in Punta Gorda that only sold Desert Roses and plants in the Adenium family. It was so much fun to see the different shapes and colors.

i would pull out the cup.. without disturbing the plant .. and then put a big stick in the ground.. to insure i didnt step on them in winter ... all such sticks are placed on the south side of a plant.. so i know.. for certain .. that the plant is to the north ... i used to do it randomly .... and learned the hard way ... you have them nestled in mother earth ... but you have included a man made variable... which might make a difference.. in winter... though i have no clue how it would all work in SC .... they are hosta.. NOT BABIES .... dig them up and throw them on the driveway for winter.. they wont care ... its when we start loving them to much... we tend to add so many variables.. that it is us... that screw it up .... dont love your plants to death .... ken