I've had trouble getting Lilium chalcedonicum seed to germinate. It's frustrating, because Tony never seems to have any problems at all in his climate. So anyway, I asked him and Darm Crook about it, and Darm's detailed instructions are thus:
Place seeds 7 days under lights at room temperature in moist conditions for seeds to imbibe moisture. Most delayed epigeal seeds [no matter the species] have such thick coats that it is hard for them to take on any moisture. So even after 7 days under lights you may not be able to notice any swelling of the seeds. This period, however, is all they need under lights with moist conditions.
Keeping the above in mind, this is the method I recommend for any delayed epigeal seed:
After harvesting then drying them, freeze them for a couple weeks. Remove from the frozen situation and thaw, place in a moist zip lock type baggie under lights for 7 days at room temperatures. Move the baggie to 2-4C temperatures for 6-8 weeks [10 weeks works even better]. Move to 9-11C. Seeds will begin germinating within 2-4 weeks. It seems reasonably fresh seed only need 6 weeks at 2-4C to start germination at 9-11C, while older seeds need the 8 week cold period.
