I did this in college, we grew them in petri dishes. We threw them out when they were still tiny tiny because the semester ended though. I collect ferns from the wild, its much easier that way! As for things to grow over the winter, try Hosta seeds! you can sew them once they are ripe and dry. good project for the winter months.

no but it is a plant which grows in high altitude so I would plant it during the cooler months.

Seeds will require a fire treatment to germinate. This can be done with a material developed in a nursery in South Africa. It is not the heat of the fire but chemicals in the smoke of the fire which overcome the resistance to germination. This chemical has been impregnated into a paper which when soaked in water is released. Seeds then soaked in the water before planting will germinate when planted. Look up South African nursery specialists and you can order the paper discs. Romneya coulteri will not do well in clay soil but will grow with abandon in a sandy soil. Most of us propagate it by digging up rooted suckers from around the mother plant, which will grow readily. You should be able to find one gallon plants in most native plant nurseries in Sonoma county. Al

David, these three and other palms go into a detached, two car, loft garage from December 1 to March 1. Definitely, NOT a palm for indoors, too dangerous. I had to saw off the tap root on these as they have a tendency to find cracks in the blacktop and grow into the ground over the course of the growing season. Remember, these guys grow in very arid regions so roots have a tendency to go deep seeking out underground water/aquifers (so deep pots are preferred). Big misconception is that date species from arid regions don't like much water, NOT TRUE. And some date species come out of tropical regions with monsoonal rains. Phoenix is a nice genus of palms but most are not for the house, with the exception of the Pygmy Dates (Phoenix roebellini).