Oh trust me, I DO understand the big deal!
And, yes, I do realize just how fortunate I am to not be climatologically challenged. The devotion shown to these plants, especially when I know just how unhappy they are in pots, amazes me. I gotta tell ya, I don't think I'd bother. Lots of other fish in the sea, if you know what I mean. Sorta like me trying to maintain a peony or hosta collection in pots and putting them in the fridge for the winter.
But my actual point was surprise that so much effort was going into velutina seeds and propagation. Again, for me, it seems like for every one seed that hit the ground about five plants came up.
Just passing along my experience - didn't intend to "dis" anyone.
Russell