I have been given 4 seeds (in their papery cases) from a Staphylea holocarpa (Chinese Bladdernut). Can anyone give me advice on how to germinate the seeds, and how to look after the young plants (assuming I am successful with the germination!)? (I am based in Southern Scotland and the seeds came from a garden in Northumberland.)
Plant in a pot, set outside to get cold exposure over winter (or in cold frame, anywhere can be protected from weeds, birds and rodents yet be exposed to cold temperatures) and see if they come up after weather warms. Hardy plants like these come with a dormancy or dormancies that must be overcome with exposure to a certain mimimum duration of cold (and sometimes heat as well) before they will sprout. Some kinds will sprout a root after exposure to required temperatures but need additional exposure to a specific combination to sprout a shoot. Maybe searching "staphylea germination" will actually bring up what they need, otherwise propagation manual(s) at a nearby college with a hort. program should say.
Instructions for sowing seeds of Staphylea pinnata and S. trifolia, from Agroforestry News, Vol. 10, No. 2: "Both...species...require 13-22 weeks of warm stratification, followed by 13 weeks of cold stratification, prior to sowing in spring."
