You want them to bloom this season? Like in the next month or two? There are no bulbs available now that will fit those requirements. They have been sold months ago. Or tossed out if not sold. It is too late to force them for this season. All spring flowering bulbs require a chilling period, whether it is in the ground under naturally cold conditions or refrigerated and potted for forcing. The exception would be paperwhite narcissus, but unless you find an unusual source that still has some left, these too will have all been sold. Most are forced into bloom for the holidays and are already sprouted at that time. They just don't keep well. What you can find now are prestarted bulbs that are either already in the process of being forced - like tulips - or ready to be planted out into the ground for blooms at their normal time. Sometimes groceries will have them but all the local garden centers here are featuring them now. Might be a bit later in your zone. If you leave these indoors in warmth and bright light, they will bloom early. I've got a pot of prestarted hyacinths indoors ready to bloom any day.

It can be the case that most of a batch goes to that horrid white mush - and some survive. For me, they really like very good drainage, quite gravelly, in fact. And being planted not more than 2" deep. (Protect from hungry beasts if necessary.) I grow several of mine in an old enamel kitchen sink that's about 6" deep max, and has that generous drain hole, too. They share the space with alpine strawberries, which have an excellent root system and which soak up any excess summer moisture. They can be left for three years or so before it becomes necessary to refresh the mix - and thin down the competition. A dressing of bonemeal in spring is helpful. They prefer morning sun and dappled light - more like A. nemorosa than the big florist anemones. Unless you have an unusually dry spring - whatever rain you receive is generally enough. The tubers increase in size and don't have offsets. If you want more plants then you have to keep the surface aound them clear because they increase through seeds. Stay alert for seedlings when re-potting. One thing that can lead to mushy bits - planting late in the season and keeping them too moist. The longer they've been out of the ground the more vulnerable they appear to be. Might be like lilies - plant as soon after lifting as possible. If they've had an overnight soaking - plant into a barely damp mix and let them settle with whatever autumn rain you get. They naturalize under trees so there would be damp, not wet, leaf litter and the drainage given by the tree roots. A similar environment for you pot/s could help. They're not 'early risers' in the spring so they possibly spend a lot of their over winter growing time developing their root system before popping up, leaves before flowers. If you get that uneasy gardener feeling that 'something is not right belong the surface' you're probably right. Gently unearth a tuber or two and check. Planting individually into 2" pots could give you useful backup if a mass planting should fail.

The hyacinths were not bred for indoors, but conditioned, i.e. refrigerated, to bloom indoors. You get conflicting reports about whether they are worth replanting. Last year I put mine in the ground and I will be happy if it comes up at all. I've been warned not to expect blooms the first year as it recovers from being forced. Hopefully next year. If you do try to save it, make sure you let the foliage go brown, either in the ground or in the pot, before you pull it off. It's the foliage that feeds the bulb to provide energy for the next year's growth and blooms. I don't know about the hardiness of Paperwhites in Chicago, although somebody here probably does, but I figure, what have you got to lose? Let them get as much sun as possible until the foliage dies down, and then slip the bulbs in your flower beds. They will take up no visible room, and if they come back, great. If they don't, you've supplied organic matter to your beds, which is better than just throwing them in the garbage. It would be nice if you reported back next year how successful the experiment was.

Did anyone get to take a peek at what I bought? Kara, makes a lot of sense! Thanks That Melocactus. is to die for. NOw that would be a very easy plant to take care of if left in a sunny warm room! Mes, so the DEAD of winter for me would be about the end of November until the end of February..That is when the sun has the least affect, acts like a light bulb and it's the shortest and coldest days here..I can't see them dying from being dry with a sip of water if that for just two and a half months.. Believe this or not, my local nursery waters theirs once a week even though their temps in there are very cool no matter what, and they don't loose any. Weird. Probably because of lots of light? They were loosing a few 'Aloe' plants though, they seem to despise cool and moist. Paul thanks I appreciate your offerings as always. Very encouraging..I could never keep them alive, but from looking at this and not asking for help in the past, I could see why. From I understand of this thread, if it is actively growing all winter under lights and kept warm, then water as usual, dry out between watering s and that's that.. If kept in a very cool room, less light, the dead of winter and if I want them to go dormant so I can encourage bloom, then pull back on watering all together for the time they are kept cool and dormant..This is my plan! So , I will continue to water and grow in a warm environment with added lights in a very sunny window until about the end of this month, then I will encourage them all to go dormant by introducing cooler temps to them once the mix is dry... As an experiment, I bought two of each so that I could actively grow some and the other half put to sleep as I would my fig trees, brugs and plumeria's. They survive in a cool dark basement with little to no water at all..Force dormancy. By spring I can see which ones survived, how well they did, and which ones bloom! I will keep everyone posted on my success.. It's STRANGE, but if I were to liken these to another type of plant that likes the same treatment, cool and left dry, I would liken them to annual tropical BULBS, the kind you pull from the ground , keep dry until you once plant them again since the bulbs themselves hold their own moisture without roots. The cactus hold moisture on the main plant while the roots go bone dry, as if the roots draw back moisture form the water in the cactus once they resume growing....The bulbs don't desiccate if treated right without water. From the bottom of my heart, thanks for all the great advice..