Banksia

[cpp gardener]

I have some Banksia ericifolia 'cones' and would like to try growing some from seeds. I've read that they need to be baked or exposed to smoke to get the cones to open and the seeds to germinate. SWMBO is not excited by the idea of baking some weird cones in her oven and worries about it making things smell bad. Has anyone tried to grow them and had success or know of another method?

 

[Tetters]

This plant is one I was very familiar with when I lived in NSW in the same area as the plant was collected by Banks back in the 1700's I believe.
The new seedlings seemed to pop up everywhere after a fire shot through - most especially in the Terry Hills area where family lived, and around the base of the Blue Mountains - near Riverstone.
I think your cones might do well if you put them in the embers of a bonfire, maybe on a metal tray, and cook them there, and I think they enjoy acid soil with plenty of ash. After a fire, the germination process for these Banksias seemed very quick.
I don`t think smoke has so much to do with their progress, more the intense heat from the fire.
Good luck.