Yes, Positively, absolutely, definitely, it works! I'm in Northern Indiana, in the snow belt off Lake Michigan, and I had around 70% success with over 100 containers. Check out the FAQ's. They will answer most of your questions, but if you have more don't hesitate to ask them here. Everyone is very friendly!
I think the sea holly should be started in the fall & over wintered though. Bakemom is the sea holly queen! & she can help you out there! (thanks Bakemom)
Maggie

I'm very new to growing from seed. I typically take cuttings and grow indoors through winter. I was thinking of growing from seed indoors through the winter and transplanting in the spring until some of my seed packs said sow cold then warm. Do you guys actually start seeds outside in the fridged Illinois winter?

Yes we do; we do them all over the world in temperate climates.

Why don't they freeze to death?

Because they're seeds, not plants. Mother Nature sows her seeds outside and they survive to germinate and become the next generation.

I'm trying lupine, hybrid lily, sea holly,and coneflower.

They'll all do fine. We have seed lists in the FAQs. You'll find annuals, veggies, herbs and ornamentals too.

Can I store seeds in cold garage for awhile then germinate indoors?

No, not effectively. Cold stratification can only happen when the seeds are sown first into a moist medium and then chilled. Some plant actually need the fluctuating temperatures of the natural winter climate to germinate.

Any help would be appreciated!

Read our FAQs or visit WinterSown.Org for photos, illustrated FAQs and more.

Thanks guys.

You're welcome.

Here is a link that might be useful: WS FAQs

thanks alot etravia. I totally missed the faq pages of this forum. Trudi d your faq is awesome, thank you very much for all your hard work. Echinacea sows in warmth but since it's perennial do you think I could successfully WS?

I wintersowed several echinaceas last winter with great success. (Like, probably 90% germination)

Welcome to wintersowing!

I found echinacea to be slow and irregular to germinate, but they finally did sprout. Don't be too anxious to give up and dump the container. In their own due time they sprout. I have 5 new plants WSed last year, one of which bloomed late, like September, of it's first year. But I got a total of 5 plants, all very healthy looking. I look forward to beautiful flowers on all of them next year.

Many perennials spend their first year growing roots, then bloom in their second year.

Karen

Echinacea sprouts much better for me if I WS than if I sow in warmth, Cobretti - I've tried summer sowing without any success at all, but if I WS it in January or February, it works great. Unlike Karen, none of my echinaceas have ever bloomed the first year, but it's worth the wait to the second.

Welcome!

I've had success with Echinacea and Sea Holly wintersowing in Dec/Jan. Never had Echinacea bloom first year from seed either. I did the Sea Holly this past winter and now they are big rosettes and will bloom next season...can't wait :D

You will love this forum and all the friendly supportive people,

Vera

Echinacea winter sows beautifully for me. Very high germination.

As for Sea holly, I have had the best luck later winter sowing them or summer sowing them. I suspect it has more to do with my particular conditions rather than the seed itself, but I would suggest winter sowing some and then late winter sowing some.