Germinate Penstemon in Refrigerator

Someone told me I could germinated my Penstemon seed in the refrigerator. I have searched for this thread and cannot find it. Could anyone please give me instructions on germinating Penstemon seed in the refrigerator. It is too late to germinate it outside as the temps are too warm.

hth http://www.rare-garden-seeds.com/seedtips.html , http://tomclothier.hort.net/page08.html

birder--how warm is it where you are?

I think it's cool enough here to do winter sowing of penstemon--at least I just wintersowed mine from Renee's Seeds (I think it was hartweggi). I also started some of the same under lights and had pretty good germination.

tabasco: Average highs are 71 and lows 40. We've had very cold weather up until today. Two nights ago, it was 34* and 45 for the high the following day.
I wanted to grow Penstemon strictus but from MVR posted, it will take 12 weeks to germinate. That would be the end of July. Do you think I should go ahead and grow this and plant it in my garden in September?? Or should I wait and winter sow it in January??
I also want to plant Penstemon hybrida 'Lilac Frost' (Thompson & Morgan). The seed pkg. says 8 to 10 weeks. Again, should I wait till winter to sow this seed? It seems like it would be easier.
Thanks so much for the chart and the good information MVR.
Birder17

birder, I don't really know that much about penstemon germination. Yes, it does seem like it would be easier to wait since it will be very hot weather for the seedlings when you finally put them into the garden. But often I think the charts are set up for commercial growers and actually the home grower will get some results in shorter times with some 'custom' attention to the seeds.

You could try to WS a few seeds right now and also try a few in a baggy with vermiculite or a little planting mix and in the fridge for several weeks. Watch for germination and plant out then. Keep the remainder for winter sowing or traditional sowing next season.

(And you might try a pre-soak in a bit of H2O2/water solution (1/20 ratio) before you put them into the baggy to speed things up.)

I don't know how many plants you want for your garden, but usually there are enough seeds to try a few different methods at different times. And it's kind of fun to experiment.

Here is the germination directions for Lilac Frost:

Place seed on the surface of a good free draining, damp, seed compost. Cover with a very fine sprinkling of compost or vermiculite. Seal container inside a polythene bag and place at 15-20C (59-68F). Germination can take 1 to 6 months, but is often quicker. Do not exclude light, as this helps germination.

You don't have to put this one in the fridge all you need is patients :)

So at 59 to 68 degrees it sounds like a good wintersowing candidate for the Ohio River Valley, anyway.

LeBug--where did you get those specific germination directions?

t, I got them from T&M, I go there a lot for germination. I WS some husker's red and didn't have much luck, I did get a couple of plants but I'm going to try and do them again and do them just before the last frost or around the last of April and see what happens I have a few penstemons I want to do this year but I need more husker's red LOL

I wanted to plalnt digitalis mertonensis (strawberry foxglove, Pink) with Penstemon strictus, blue. According to Diane's Seeds, they bloom at the same time. I thought it would be very pretty together. I have a "few" digitalis coming up from winter sowing, but haven't ordered the Penstemon. So, I may just order and experiment and then if not successful, I will do some more in the winter. The lilac frost, I rec'd from T & M:. as LeBug. T & M don't give you very many seeds per order. I am having fun watching all my seeds sprout. I am having pretty good luck, but the nasties aren't doing much. Hopefully, they will still sprout as it is warm out now. Birder

A reliable source of information about germinating penstemons is the official American Penstemon Society Website. www.apsdev.org

Barbara Lewis

Penstemon hate me sigh. I can't get them to germinate no how no way. This will be year 5 trying. I'll keep you posted but don't hold your breath LOL.

Oh, Barbara, that is a beautiful website for the Penstemon Society!

Thanks for posting that!