I would try the wintersowing method. It basically consists of placing 4-5 inches of soilless growing medium in a container with drainage holes, planting the seeds, then covering the container with a vented, clear plastic cover to allow rain and snow to enter and air to exchange. Then you put the whole thing outside where it will be exposed to nature's elements, and wait for the seeds to do their thing. Some seeds take just one winter, while some take multiple warm-cold-warm-cold cycles before germination occurs. I would do some more searching to see how complicated the typical germination requirements are. There is a go-to germination resource that many others use (Clothiers?) but I'm not sure of the name. That site might also know whether there are male and female plants and whether you need one of each to propagate.

I would take the seeds out of the berry and clean them thoroughly. Many who grow lots of plants from seed swear by warm water soaking of seeds prior to planting. Good luck.

Martha

In addition to docmom's excellent coverage...I would use these very same interwebs to look it up. there, you may find a tidbit that could prove important. But basically, the stratification method outline above should work.

+om

I basically did exact.y that two years ago and got very good germination outside with my V. triloba.

But my WS method is to create a small seedbed area in a sheltered location, gather lots of leaf mold and compost mixed in. I clean the seeds first by removing all the rind. I think it took only one winter for sprouting. But, maybe it was two!?

That's why keep it in a sheltered area because things may take time in there. I have a nice crop of Actae rubra var alba that took two years, and still waiting for some others. But having a dedicated area for sprouting is all that's needed.

So can I leave the pots outside uncovered? I'm a little confused as to the plastic cover on the pots...

Shrub seeds often have a deep dormancy needing a warm period followed by cold and sometimes two seasons are necessary. dandy_line's method is good for those kinds of seed since they sometimes take two seasons. I checked my chart and it indicated Viburnum seeds need 68 degrees followed by 41 degrees, the time indicated was 60 to 270 days.

Besides cleaning you could try roughing them up with sandpaper or nicking them and soaking in hydrogen peroxide before sowing. When seeds need a warm soak I use hot tap water in a thermos and soak overnight. It might help, it wont hurt.

Ok, so rough them up, soak in hot water overnight, sow in soilless mix, keep in room temp for three months, then put outside in February.

I would out them outside right now, providing they are seeds from your locality.

I don't see any reason for soil less mix when they are outside.

The wintersowing method that I've used includes a vented plastic cover on containers. The purpose of the cover is to keep moisture levels more consistent. If there is no germination the first spring, then I would move the containers to a shady location and remove the covers. It is important to make sure the growth medium doesn't dry out completely. Certainly direct sowing is another excellent method. I mean, who can argue with Mother Nature?

Martha

I wouldn't be that artificial or technical about sowing them northraleigh. I agree with either of the methods described by docmom and dandy_line. If the seeds don't germinate and come up in spring, seeds sowed in the ground in a special spot for the purpose like dandyline described would be easier and more natural than keeping pots moist all through summer which strikes me as an ordeal. The point was, there might be more than cold stratification involved to unlock dormancy as is the case for some shrub seeds and that was what the chart I checked indicated. Late summer or early fall would have been the ideal time for sowing but I'd go ahead and sow outside ASAP. If you have plenty of seeds, try all 3 methods, what do you have to loose?

Winter sowing has worked for me with a major portion of the seeds I collect. I like the containers as I can isolate the seeds and have fewer other plants sprouting inside. Ferns show up in containers if you leave them outside for years, which I do, as some seeds have taken as many as three years for me. I cannot say enough to encourage you to try WS methods. I have grown hundreds of different plants this way, with a low percentage of failures.

I have not grown this particular Viburnum; the critters beat me to the seeds every year!

Winter sowing Check out the website.