I am in 7a.
No, I have never seen seedlings in the spring and have looked.
Probably more a matter of having the right soil conditions. The ground under my trees tends to have a lot of loose material like dead leaves and twigs, and stays very moist through our wet winters.
And related to the original topic, also apparently good conditions for some Cypripedium acaule that occur naturally in my backyard.
Sorry jasperlja8 for hijacking your post.
The tree is in a raised bed with compost all around.
My theory is that Oklahoma is windy and the seeds are blowing into the yard never to be seen again.
That is why this year I'm going to put them in an area in compost near the tree.
I have Cyp reginae and parviflorum seedlings in the fridge in a plastic bag. I've been checking them regularly for rot or desiccation. They did get to go dormant naturally, were bare rooted, and then stored. The grower I bought them from recommended waiting a few years to plant them out, hence the fridge. I'll take them out and pot them up in early spring. Fingers crossed!
At least they're smaller than the mugo pine seedlings I was keeping in there for a few winters!
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"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." Beckett may have been talking about orchids...
We have a fridge in the garage for beverages and overflow foods, so that’s the one I used.
Unfortunately, the second winter I did that, my wife decided to clean it out and thought they were vegetables that had sprouted roots, so threw them out….