I have *never* had any luck with these - I'll have to give your method a try. Especially now that I'm in an "almost" Mediterranean climate.

Thanks, Joanna!

Sheryl,

Let us know how it works out for you. I have done different varieties and they all seemed to germinate well with the prior over night freeze. Do make sure you give them a few hours to absorb water 1st, before you freeze them

Thanks, will do!

Joanne you make it so easy. Even I could do this. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Do you have to sow the seeds indoors under lights? Or can you do the first steps indoors and when it is time to plant can you put them in soil outside? Thank you for sharing this info~ i have tried a few times to start Lavendar seed to no avail. I would love to get it right.

Hi Toni,

As soon as you thaw them, they need to be sown. The idea of freezing, thawing and then sowing indoors is to get quick germination and a long grow time for the blooms to form earlier outdoors. I'm not sure where you are, but if you want to sow outside, I would not freeze them 1st, unless you are in zone 8 or 9. The other factor is how long are your days now?
If you sow outside and they germinate in late April or May, you may not see blooms the 1st year or it may be very late in the season

This technique is to start early, germinate early and start growing early to have more success with first year blooms early to mid summer

Hi Joanna, I am in zone 8a, I have two wonderful plants and have tried to start their seeds to no avail... So, this summer when they bloom again, do I have to do something with the seed right away? I thought I was unsuccessful because the seed doesn't stay viable long at all? So, what should I do with the seed from the mature plants in order to start new plants given my zone? I appreciate all of your advice. I have tried to research this on net a couple years ago without success.