Alberto Castillo wrote > Hi Leo: > As an alternative, why not follow USEFUL instructions??' > > These instructions of potting, refrigerating, whatever, are new to me. > Just sow upon receipt by pressing the seeds in individual pots in agood > commerical compost and leave themn alone in a preferably frost free place > with not much direct sun. By the summer the tuber will be dormant. If you > have room you can plant in the ground your next autumn before it sprouts > and there it will stay for the next 40 or more years, provided you can > give it "Cape bulb" conditions. But, it is a large plant, it comes from a > frost free region, it can take slight frosts with no harm but in an > exposed chilly spot the plant will grow slowly and will not flower in the > second/third season as would be normal. > > Finally, they come from a year round rainfall region and the dormant > tubers receive some rain in summer. This also implies that it is best to > sow the seed without delay although they will of course germinate with > the onset of cool weather in autumn. The tubers, so much Dahlia like are > extremely fragile hence at first it is safer to sow the seed > individually. Thank you for the seeds. I can attest your suggestions above work! I can't recall right now where I read to wet-stratify the seeds in the refrigerator. That didn't work. I have room for a large vine. How much cold can it take? In our winters we have occasional night frosts to -3C most years, and rarely to -8C. Days are always well above freezing. The soil never freezes so the tubers would survive. I would plant it under trees so the base and lower stems would be much more protected than the vines. I did put all the seeds into one pot but the soil is very loose. Next summer I will unpot carefully and plant into individual pots for planting out next fall. Leo Martin Phoenix Arizona USA