Hi Kaku, welcome to the GW!

I had wonderful success with Wintersowing Epilobium angustifolium, infact too good, now I'll have to weed some out.

I haven't tried sowing Iris, but I'm sure someone from the Far North Forum or the CAN WS Forum will be able to help you out with this one.

Far North Forum
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/farnorth/
Com' join us, lot's of hardy gardeners from zone 0-3 over there.

Sharon

Here is a link that might be useful: Canadian Winter Sowing Forum

I have successfully grown blue flag from seeds. I collected wild seeds from plants in Georgian Bay. I honestly can't remember now if I planted in the fall or spring -- probably the fall thinking that the seed would overwinter as it does in nature.

I also think that I don't remember plants the first spring, but they could have been very small. Since then (about 6 years ago) they have returned, multiplied and bloomed each year.

Our blue flag is in a natural wet spot between the driveway and the road. We originally scraped it out with the backhoe thinking we could make a deeper pond but it is only about 10" deep at its deepest in the spring. It dries out each summer and we don't artificially add water. I did throw some dirt in with the seeds (since we had removed most of the muck previously) but I didn't really "plant" them as you would in a garden.

Can't help you with the fireweed. Something I've wanted but never got around to buying or trading for.

Iris versicolor is easy on the east coast. Plant them in small pots and put the pots in a tray to hold a bit of water. Let mother nature take over. They need the cold and wet to germinate. Put the flat off someplace where it won't get kicked over and won't be forgotten and dry out. Come spring you will see tiny grasslike iris babies. I've done it a few times before and germination varies greatly. I had most sprout the following spring but had others sprout staggered through the summer and into the following year.

Some people will germinate them by putting them in an old sock or panty hose and hanging them in the toilet tank so that each flush runs new cold water over them. Then into pots and into the refrigerator for a few weeks.

The older the seed the longer it will take to germinate. I've got seed that is just beginning to sprout now that I had planted out last year.

Little bit of patience required.

Hi there,

Dont visit GW too often but wanted to ask how you are doing with your versicolor seeds. I always put my iris seeds in the loo tank tied in pantyhose for 3 weeks or so. Then I put the seeds still in panty hose, into a ziplock baggie into crisper of fridge for 11 or 12 weeks. You have to look at them now and then so you can take them out and pot up when they start germinating. This way means you get a jump on winter. They are quite big strong seedlings by the time frost has gone and you can plant them out.

Cheers Ginny in Manitoba