How to cold-stratify lavender?

I'm trying, yet again, to start some lavender from seed. I've read various ways to cold-stratify the seeds before planting to aid germination. I'm curious what you've all had success with: soaking them in warm water overnight? Paper-towel baggie method in fridge? Freezer? And how long did you leave them in there? Thanks!

How to cold-stratify lavender?
I just let mine self-sow in the garden most of the time, but have found that I can start them from seed in the house. They can take up to a month to germinate, so be patient.



Although I haven’t found it to be worth the trouble, some gardeners recommend cold-stratifying lavender seeds to improve the germination rate. The simplest way to do this is to place lavender seeds into a ziplock bag of moistened seed starting mix and leave it in the refrigerator for 3 weeks. Then just plant them in little pots until they are large enough to plant outside.
Reply:You need to put the seeds in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks. I prefer a month. You do not want to freeze them. I haven't done lavender seeds. Do the directions on the package suggest soaking overnight? If not, don't. I tried that with Delphinium seeds. It didn't work. If it does say to soak overnight, you start out with warm water. It will cool off overnight. Don't worry. Just plant them the next day as per the directions.

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