They'll probably germinate very well as they've had a winter of freezes and thaws. Sow some and watch the flat for a few months--their germination is usually staggered and doesn't begin until at least the middle of Spring. It's quite likely that you might be seeing ROS seedlings come up under the shrubs and you won't need to collect and sprout the seeds. In my garden we have a few hedges of them, the birds just LOVE their seeds and eat them all winter. Many of the seeds do get knocked to the ground and aren't eaten and they sprout like weeds.

Any chance you are "sharin" the Rose of Sharon seeds? I live in an area of California called Sharon and my husband is from Korea where the Rose of Sharon was first recorded. I would love to plant a few of these bushes....wonder if they will grow in CA where our weather doesn't really freeze?

i have a ton i would love to share them with you, drop me a email with your addy...how many you want? yeah trudi these i actually moved when we purchased a new place because my grandmother gave them to me...i noticed that in a mulched bed i would get tons of starts but if just in the grassed area they never resowed...probably cause we kept them mowed down:).