Difficult seeds do seeds directly acquired from the southern hemisphere and which normally germinate in late fall/winter there, when planted in the northern hemisphere fail to germinate in northern fall, but germinate in northern spring? If this is the case, and vice-versa for northern species sown in the southen hemisphere, then natural circadian rythyms would be the cause. Mr Ingram's message seems to indicate this is a problem. I also had what is now a winter growing Herbertia germinate in the spring and grow in its first summer, eventually becoming summer dormant. Richard