I'll be interested in this answer too!

I've posted this to the growing from seed forum as well.

--Carolyn

Dirr in his book, Hydrangeas for American Gardens says that

"Seeds should be collected in fall when the 1/4 to 5/16 inch high conical to urn shaped capsules turn brown and a small opening is visible at the top. The seeds, brown and dust like in size, are not completely dispersed by the elemants. I have collected infructescesces in January and February that contained thousands of seeds. A one gallon clear plastic bag is placed over the infructescence, which is then removed from the parent plant, the bag inverted, and shaken. The tiny seeds are eveident at the bottom. Seeds can be stored in glass jars or vials in the frig. Do not allow the delicate seeds to dry for an extended period.

If the fruits are collected too early, for example September and October (Athens, Ga.), drying will be necessary. The process is the same as above except the infructescences are placed on newspaper and dried at room temp (65-75) for 5 to 7 days. Seeds will be visible on the papers as the capsules dehisce during the drying process. Occasionally capsules do not open, in which case a rolling pin..

...seeds require no special stratification treatments. ie, no seed coat and/or embryo dormancy. ... Seeds should be lightly sprinkled on the surface of a suitable seedling mix. Fafard is a standard. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER cover the seeds. (Emphasis is Dirr's, not mine-hay). Place under mist(our approach)or keep evenly moist. Soil temp is kept at 70. Seedlings are visible in 4 to 6 weeks...

Gellderen's Enclyclopedia says

"Finally,it is possible to grow plants from seed. These seedlings are very varialbe and not suitable for comercial purpose, excpet maybe in the case of wild-collected seeds from rare species. Seedlings, especially from seed of garden origin, can produce novelties, but careful selection and trials are essential, as there are so many beautiful named cultivars already. "

Hope you try it and let us know in four to six weeks!

Hay.

Thanks, that was very helpful. I still havent decided if I'm going to try to start them this fall or winter sow, or just wait for spring.

--Carolyn

Here's an example of what can be achieved following the advise given by Mike Dirr in the reply of Hayseedman. Only difference was germination occurred in around 10 days and transplants occurred at about 40 days. These were from a hydrangea quercifolia

Here is a link that might be useful: