Dear Alessandro,

I would say that “bonsai seeds” is a somewhat vague description; from what they recommend on the site where you bought them, they are tree seeds (of which species or variety I can not have any idea); generally the seeds of some trees and shrubs, in nature, are contained in various types of fruits, which are eaten and digested by animals, or which fall on the ground in summer, and must wait for spring to germinate. These seeds are therefore covered with a sort of shell, a totally water-repellent and rigid cuticle, difficult to penetrate, which prevents the seeds from germinating as soon as they fall to the ground. This is because, if a plant were to sprout in August, it would find an inhospitable climate, and moreover, before it could be large enough to withstand the cold, it would be in the middle of winter. In essence, these are measures implemented by nature to allow plants to germinate at the most favorable moment for their development.So if you take some seeds of this kind, and simply put them in the ground, it may happen that they do not germinate at all, or you could having to wait years before humidity and climate make germination possible.If you are a patient person, you can do as nature: you can put the seeds in the ground, in a nice pot, water, and place the pot outdoors , exposed to the elements; and wait until spring for your seeds to sprout. If you are a little more impatient, you can place the seeds in a bag with a little damp sand; close the bag tightly, and put the seeds in the fridge for at least 3-4 weeks, to simulate winter; then you will take them out and sow them in the ground; or (but it depends on the size of the seeds) you can subject them to a process called scarification: it consists in somehow removing the cuticle that covers the seeds, to allow the water to penetrate and make the seed germinate. The quickest and simplest method of scarification is to lightly pass the seeds with very fine-grained sandpaper. If you have a lot of seeds, and a lot of good will, you can try all the methods: you sow some seeds outdoors, some you put in the fridge, and some you can sand them.