<p>The competition–colonization trade-off lies at the core of seed evolutionary ecology. It is traditionally viewed as a resource-partitioning model in which non-dispersing morphs preempt more resources and are therefore strong competitors, while dispersing morphs preempt fewer resources and consequently are weaker competitors. In plants, however, empirical evidence has shown that early germination can provide a competitive advantage independently of resource uptake. We therefore developed an adaptive dynamics model to investigate the joint evolution of dispersal and germination timing, of seed-heteromorphic species ( i.e. plant species that produce both dispersing and non-dispersing seeds), in a single species metapopulation characterized by extinction and recolonization. The model lies on the assumption that early germination enhances competitive ability but also exposes plants to a higher risk of local extinction (e.g. from early spring frosts). Our results show that non-dispersing morphs can evolve earlier germination than dispersing seeds. It further demonstrates that a competition–colonization trade-off mediated by germination phenology can readily evolve through natural selection without requiring any physiological constraint such as resource partitioning. Overall, our study provides new insight into a long-standing ecological question and highlights the importance of phenology in shaping the evolution of dispersal traits in plants.</p>