Hi Dee, No I still haven't discovered what they are... On the "other" site nobody knows either... Still waiting for the first true leaves to see if that gives some clue... Those strange looking cotyledons (at least they seem unusual to me) are burning my head... I can't even imagine the family. And no chance I could get a pic of the adult tree. I collected the seeds on the local botanical garden below a huge podocarpus, but seeds where from the droppings below a fruit eater bird nest (rather disgusting but could'n resist the collecting job already done!) so It could be any fruit bearing tree on the garden, and thou I know most of them, this one keeps eluding me... I can't ask the stuff of the garden either because of poor their knowledge and care they have about everything... Up to now I have been calling them "pelargonium tree" ha ha. Regards.

Thanks Spruce. I've been known to hold plants so as to try and match up with a rain. I've also taken the step of having the forester order up an inch of rain per week and moderate temperatures for next year! This whole thing represents a departure for me-from my first plantings there in which I would hand-dig holes, mulch with woodchips and yes, even do some initial watering as best I could. I also used to trim around my trees and spray glyphosate rings. The trend has been away from all of that finally arriving at this machine-plant operation I've got lined up. Forester is not the guy I originally worked with, that guy retired, and this one was much less willing to reimburse me for my cadillac methods. Initially, I was peeved. I'd expected, and documented work hours to the tune of something like $1500 that year of transition. His offering was something like $150! But once we met up there and got talking, I decided his ideas had merit. Among them, the machine, which he says will do a really good job and a tighter stocking rate than I'd been doing, to allow for losses. Obviously, mulching will too be out of the question. When I began, that planting area was alfalfa. He said that a corn crop in the prior year would in effect give one year of free weed control, so when my farmer guy wanted to do corn, I said sure. He's into Roundup Ready which I do realize there is considerable legitimate question about, but I do think in the case of this planting, it too should be helpful. And while that area is at the very north limit of meaningful agriculture in this state, it is interesting to note that the corn up there did great, my field included, unlike the major growing areas further south. He's also big on an over the top herbicide spraying in year two, which I will also look into. There's guys that contract work like that out. I don't recall the chemical off the top of my head but I've got it here somewhere. All in all, this is a much bigger scale planting method. But for what I'm trying to accomplish, it sounds good. +oM

and the beauty of it.. is if you find nothing unique.. you end up with understock ... so if you get them thru the seedlings stage.. its a no lose proposition ... do you have access to a greenhouse.. or will this be an 'in the house' attempt.. or do you plan to winter sow them ... give us some parameters.. for a better.. more precise answer .... whenever i think of starting seed.. i think of starting by sterilizing everything ... to avoid all those pesky soil borne issues ... especially indoors or greenhouse ... 10% bleach on everything .. and sterilize your media .. see link ... after that.. i am sure others with much more direct experience.. will take it from here ... ken Here is a link that might be useful: link

For the mentioned trees in your post, with the exception of the redbud, you cannot start them from seed and expect them to look like the parent tree. The trees you listed are cultivars and as such need to be propagated through grafting, cuttings, or other asexual methods in order to get a tree identical to the parents. You can start seeds from an 'Autumn Blaze' maple but the seedlings will not be 'Autumn Blaze'. Some will be similar to the parents and others will be similar ro the straight species that the variety was selected from. The same thing holds true with the copper beech and 'Crimson King' Norway maple. Seedlings from a named variety of copper beech will come up anywhere from completely green to purple-ish. If you want one of these named selections you will have to find a grafted plant or one started from a cutting for sale. There are a whole bunch of mail order nurseries that sell smaller grafts or cutting grown size plants if buying a larger plant is cost prohibitive. A smaller tree will also establish quicker and often out perform larger transplants that require longer to establish themselves post-planting. The redbud, if you do not want a selected variety/cultivar, can be started from seed. I actually have seed pods still hanging on my trees and can send you some if you'd like. When I have purchased seed, I have bought from both F.W. Schumacher and Scheffields with great germination results. Depending on which species you start from seed, you will have to treat the seed differently to allow germination. Some species require a couple months cold stratification (damp and cold but not frozen), some require warm followed by cold stratification, some require scarification where the seed coat needs to be weakened, and some can be sown without pretreatment. Schumacher's online catalog has species specific germination requirements listed on the details page for almost all the seeds they sell. Hope this helps!