Rhetorical question: WHY would anyone want to grow the stuff? There's plenty of it growing here in Northern Nevada...

Okay, to be serious: in Fall, put the seeds in a pot of damp seed-starting soil. Leave the pot out all winter in a sheltered location where the pot won't get tipped, nibbled or emptied. The seedlings should appear in spring.

WHY would anyone want to grow the stuff? There's plenty of it growing here in Northern Nevada...

Well, I do not reside in N. Nevada. That is why I am trying to start it from seed and I cannot afford to purchase it in shrub form.

I guess that familiarity truly does breed contempt...:-) You should know that rabbit brush is a bit allelopathic (prevents other plants from growing near it). It's also the source of a lot of seasonal allergies (late summer/early fall) in this part of the country.

On the plus side, I think rabbit brush smells nice, it's tough as nails, and extremely drought tolerant (it might succumb to rot anywhere East of the Mississippi, in fact), and it has beautiful bright yellow flowers. It also makes a wonderful bright golden dye on wool.

If you can't find any seed, post on this forum and I'll see if I can scrounge some from the nearby hills.

If you are in the same kind of high, dry climate as Northern Nevada, I also heartily recommend Penstemon palmeri. Don't even think about trying to grow it if you get 14 or more inches of rainfall annually, but it's gorgeous if you need something tough and extremely xeric.