When I worked at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden we had a crop of P. californica. I remember the seeds germinated like kidney beans without any treatment, but getting them through their leafless summer dormancy in pots was challenging. Watering lightly about every two weeks helped during this period; seedlings kept totally dry perished. The mix was well-drained with plenty of sand and pumice and a low % of organic matter. Still, after a few years we ended up with only one plant in a 1x1x1 foot wooden box. Recently I planted fresh seeds of P. cambessedesii with zero germination over winter. The seeds appear to have a harder coat that the CA native species. Maybe they need scarification as someone else mentioned? Dylan *"The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add an useful plant to its culture…" --**Thomas Jefferson* _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…