Cherry wrote: >>I have tended to avoid them because I think they might need smoke and the cycling of temperatures you get when northern winter is segueing into spring. None of the ones I've grown needed smoke. They are dead simple to germinate in California -- watering and winter temperatures do the trick. They sprout in winter here rather than spring (for example, if you had planted them in the fall they would be sprouting right about now). Unfortunately, I have no experience growing them in a climate like Florida's. Hope that helps, Mike San Jose, CA (zone 9, min temp 20F / -6c)