Don't give up on seeds

[janemcgary]

Since I have many bulbs in pots plunged in a sandy mixture, I usually add to the plunge material the soil from pots in which seeds have remained ungerminated for three years (more in the case of irises and colchicums). Between the pots rise some things that are unwanted (Tulipa ingens, well named 'huge') and some that are a wonderful unexpected treat. Today a tall green stem that arose between pots opened its four buds: the beautiful Leucocoryne vittata. I would not have expected it to survive the cold winters of the bulb house, though L. coquimbensis does. It is well adapted to the weather this week -- four or five days of record hot temperatures for May. The Calochortus are also handling it well.

[ksayce]

 I ended up with cyclamen in many pots by reusing old (5 years+) potting mixtures. Lovely, but annoying as of course now all are unidentified.

[Diane Whitehead]

This year I had flowers from old seeds because I reused soil from ungerminated ones. Linaria triornithophora (Three birds Flying) which I sowed in 2002 finally germinated and is flowering now.  

[David Pilling]

Linaria triornithophora (Three birds Flying)

Wow, what an interesting flower, I've not heard of that. I can get and afford a packet of seeds. OTOH 20 years to germinate(?!).

[Martin Bohnet]

Only some - I had mine germinating within weeks - guess it's one of those plants with long term seed reserve. Unfortunately I lost mine in the second winter, but I guess it should be hardy for you. PS: i think triornitophora does freely hybridize with other linaria - I had this one appearing in the garden a year after the three birds vanished, and I only have yellow species other than Three birds...

On the original topic: this year it's Ipomoea pubescens

Height:	150-250 cm (4.9-8.2 ft)
Flower Colors:	purple
Special:	climber
Life form:	tuber

for me - I had no luck in growing them from seeds indoors, but they are all over pots that were around their position last year - guess they need day/night differences to germinate well.

[CG100]

Many amaryllid seeds are notorious for germinating within almost no time of maturing - seeds will send out a root before falling in some cases - so-called ephemeral seeds.

I bought a pack of Crinum asiatica seeds back last year and got around 80% germination within a very few weeks with just 2-3 showing nothing. Around 3 weeks ago, the pots were transferred to the greenhouse from the indoor propagator and today two more seeds have a root.