Hi drippy -
I just got some seeds myself. This is the instructions that came with mine:

"Soak seed in warm water 24 hours prior to sowing in moist potting mix. Sow seed in autumn and leave pots exposed to frost. Plant in beds in spring and expect top growth the following fall. Variegation appears on mature plants."

So, I guess we won't be seeing anything for a long time! I'll plant mine in my holding bed with a tag until they pop up. Otherwise, I'm sure to plant something on top of them!

I tried some last year, thinking it would need warm-cold-warm. Well, my seeds sprouted immediately. We were having a mild winter (I think this was in January), so I put the sprouts out even though it was probably going to get cold again. Well, it did and they died off in the cold.

So basically, don't count on them needing warm-cold-warm, they might just need warm and sprout right off the bat.

Alison

most of arums are take a year or more to germinate, then few years to grow flowering size bulb.

Oh, they are going to be tough! I'm going to have to do a plant trade for one.

Alison - If you want to try them again, it looks like I'll have seeds to share with you in 2010 :)!

there is some professional method of cutting down on time growing arisaemas/ arums- artificially giving them 3 months cold then 3 months warm thus cutting down seasons to half but when I tried seedlings promtly died
must have missed something in transition...

Ut-oh, I was just going to tell you that mine never germinated last year, but now that I've read all the messages, I see I didn't give them enough time. I wonder where I dumped those pots? LOL! I'll have to look for the seedlings next spring.

Lime

where did you guys get your seeds from?

Got mine from Gardens North

I found mine at Summer Hill Seeds.

I bought mine on ebay, but I don't remember which seller. Thanks for the offer, shimla :-) But I think if I really want this one, I may just go with plants from a nursery, instead of trying seeds again.

Aaaaah... Gardens North. (Drool, drool:O) Do tell, what other seeds did you get? Can't get just one pack from them - I know this from experience!! I have been walking away from the computer every time the thought of visiting them this year has come to mind, but you've just planted the thought in my one and only brain cell. You evil person you! LOL!!

oh, yeah and Gardens North have aconitum hemlseyanum too...
climbing monkshood that is.

what about seedman.com and the one that starts with banana, but can't be mentioned here. the apparently spammed the site. does that mean they are not good to order from? i have a budget to stick to and would like to get at least 4 or 5 types to start out with. need info on these and any others that are okay to buy seeds from.

Gardens North has such great seeds, Tiffy, I'm lucky if I can limit myself to under 3 figures. This time I got the arum italicum, hyacinthoides non-scripta (I've been a nutcase ever since I got back from the UK), Meconopsis Lingholm (I should give up on the blankety-blank blue poppies, but hope springs eternal), and chelone glabra.

I could have ordered 4 to the 4th power - love Gardens North!

mokey - In addition to Summer Hill, I have also ordered from seedman, Diane's seeds, and value seeds this year and my orders were fine. Gardens North has a wonderful selection, also. I was in filling up my cart before I noticed they charge extra for USA orders. I'm going to shop with them next year since I've already done quite a bit of shopping this winter and too many addicting swaps!