I do get seeds from most my bee pods and sometimes lots of them. Sometimes the bees get something to cross that I have been unsuccessful at (well at least the parent cause that is all I know about). But then again, I end up with a lot more pods from what I crossed than what the bees produce.
I leave my seedlings on the patio during winter. It is a lot less cold here though than many places so that might be why I am getting away with it. If they do die back, they usually come back in Spring. Also, I have had seeds sprout 3 years later. And I have heard of people having seeds sprout after 10 years. I don't have that patience. I plant my seeds in plastic storage bins. As seedlings get big enough to move to the garden, I dig them out and plant them and leave the smaller seedlings in the bin. I have heard of hybridizers that plant directly in the ground in groups. It seems that would be a space saver. I have just been planting them individual as they are tall enough to transplant from the bin. I usually wait for my TB's to reach 8 inches and my SDBs to reach 4 inches before I move them to the garden. I have lost a few when I transplant but very few. I am still learning a lot though so I am sharing my ideas because so far they have worked for me but I definitely am not an expert to know the "best" way, just a way that has been working.
One interesting thing about the seedlings in the bin is: I used to be afraid when they were very tiny that, when watering, I would knock them over and kill them, but I found they have a pretty long tap root. Also, if I am transplanting a bigger Iris and it is next to smaller ones, the littler ones may get pulled out of their place accidently as I move out the big one, but they actually do very well at bouncing back, if you just make sure to re-cover their roots with dirt.
Tom, I got seeds from a Strawberry Shake cross this year as well but only 12 were in the pod. When there are that few seeds, I almost always don't have success with the seeds sprouting, but of course I am going to try.
