Bulbs

I recently had a freebie bucket of assorted bulbs but I only had room to put in a handful :( .
Will they keep til next year? (when I have my garden sorted out) And if so whats the best way to store them?

Thanks

 

put them somewhere cool and dry and they'll be fine

or buy a tub and put some in there :D

I need to plant this years yet, where does the time go?

 

Bulbs need to grow and make leaf for the following year's flowers. Flowering in the first year isn't important, it's the leaves and roots that produce the goodness which the bulb stores. Left unplanted they will attempt to shoot but starved of nutrients from soil via roots and sugars from the leaves the bulbs will wither and rot.

The best way to handle this is to beg, borrow, perloin or otherwise obtain a large plastic box, make some holes in the base, add an inch or so of gravel then fill the box with a 50/50 mix of soil and compost. Plant the bulbs pointy end upwards to 3 X their dry height which will suit most common bulbs like daffs and tulips. Raise the box on some bricks or broken slabs (best done while it's still empty!) and keep moist through winter but don't add water during during snow or frost. Once the bulbs start to leaf give a little more water but be carefull not to waterlog them. The bulbs that flower you can then label and maybe photograph so you know what they are and once you have your garden organised you can replant where you want them after the leaves have died back next summer. Do remove the flowers heads after petal drop though otherwise they will go to seed and draw a lot of energy away from the bulb which is the 'petrol tank' for the following year's bloom.

I use this method for a number of bulbs, broken bits of dahlia tuber and other bits and bobs when I don't know the variety. I'm fortunate though. I have a beach fairly near that is an ideal source for the occasional plastic fish box and they make excellent, tough tempory homes for waifs and strays.