Question
I have a pot of tulips that were given to me as a gift. I wanted to plant the bulbs now that the plant has withered. Is it okay to plant them now or should I store them until next fall? What is the best way to store them if that is necessary? I live in Western KY.

Answer
Hi Melissa,
Thanx for your question. Unfortunately, tulips bought in the stores and florists that are already blooming have most likely been forced.  This means a horticulturist/florist somewhere keeps the bulbs at a cold temperature for a given amount of time and then plants them in pots and warms them up.  This forces the tulips to grow at a time when they normally wouldn't.  In otherwords, we have created an artificial stimulant to grow and bloom.  This usually requires incredible amounts of energy from the bulb which usually results in the death of the plant after blooming.  However, this isn't always true.  So, I would go ahead and plant the bulbs now.  Our soil isn't frozen solid here in NE Kansas and I doubt yours is either.  At any rate, dig holes about 8 inches deep and put the bulbs in.  If the leaves are completely brown, they need to come off.  If they are green at all, leave them on to gather energy from the sun.  Fill the holes with dirt and mulch with straw.  Hopefully, they'll come back up next year.  I hope this helps.
Tom