I am late this year with the seeds. Hopefully, this afternoon I can get to it. Put the dry bearded seeds in pill bottles with their labels. Then put them in a box and into the freezer. Let them stay in the freezer for about two months or sometime in November. Then plant them in pots and bury the pot. Why bury the pot? That way the cold and moisture are retained in the pot to aid in germination. You have to water less frequently if it is cold and dry. It's also less likely for an animal or vermin to turn over the pot and spill the seeds. Germination here usually starts in late Feb. This last year it was in Jan. because we had little or no winter. Here the seedlings are big enough to line out in May.

The freezer procedure applies only to bearded seeds.

Walter Moores

I use a similar method, but must comment that the freezer on my new fridge managed to kill a whole batch of seeds. Must be much cloder than the old one. Now I put them in the veg crisper for 8 to 12 weeks.
I soak mine for 3 days then wrap in damp paper towel, and then in foil, with the name tags inside the foil layer. I pack the little foil "cigars" together in plastic baggies and put them into the crisper. This years seeds was extremely clean with no signs of mould after the treatment, and the new growth is lush and lovely. Almost ready to plant out.
I start mine around late Feb, early march, for planting in Autumn, and get good germination during the winter months (July/August here in the southern hemisphere). This allows for planting before the end of October, and incredible growth over the next year. Some SDB's have as many as 32 increase from last years single seed, and will bloom for me shortly. These are the most amazing results i have had so far, but TB's do not tend to increase as much, with an average of 2 or 3 increase on most of last years seedlings.
Cheers, Jan

Jan and Walter:
Thanks for your helpful information. Most of the seeds are already in the freezer so I have to go with the freezer method this year. Just didn't remember when to take them out! But maybe I will try Jan's method on the remaining seeds.
On another related topic: it seems I almost never get bee pods, and if I do they are empty. The only way to get seeds is to pollinate myself. Anyone else have this problem? Maybe I don't have decent bees around here?
Laetitia

When I had a chest type freezer (finally went kaput after more than thirty years), the temp. stayed around 0o and I don't recall any problems after two three months of storage.

For me, if the seeds are in the fridge, they sprout in the middle of winter when there is little I can do for them. I have a problem trying to plant little seedlings that have sprouted in the fridge. I break the leaf from the seed and have killed far too many that way.

Whatever works for you, then that is great.

Walter Moores

Yes Walter, mine sprout too, but generally at the end of autumn, and they seem to make good growth here throughout the winter. It just doesn't get that cold - maybe 2 degrees below zero at the worst (that's centigrade).
My sprouts don't usually get further than a tiny rootlet, and I have the problem of breaking a few off.
I was worried about my pacific coast iris this year, as all the beardeds were growing away strognly and not a sign of PCI's. I planted around 1200, and while i rather hoped they wouldn't all germinate, i wanted a few at least.
Well they are shooting like crazy this week - looks like my worst nightmare - where will i put them all? These are my third generation, and more highly selected than last years crop. Much to look forward to.
As far as beepods, I rarely get them, but usually they have heaps of seed. They are usually all on one particular plant rather than random. One year Sky Hooks had 8 bee pods, with masses of seeds. No other bee pods in the garden. This made me think it was something to do with a crawling insect rather than a flying one? Or perhaps someone was playing tricks on me, but i don't think that was the case.
Cheers, Jan in Aus, with bloom on I. germanica, and I. lutescens, lots of clean, green growth, and fat little buds showing here and there. The SDB's will be going crazy shorly.