Mesh bags (like the ones onions come in) are great for storage. Paper shopping bags work almost as well. Store them at around 70F for the summer; 60F or so (e.g., cellar temp) in the early fall. Humidity in the same range that people enjoy (30-50%) is best. Plant in the fall, probably in October in your area.

Beware of using bone meal if you have doggies that will have access to that area. I once planted tulips, placing some bone meal in each planting hole. My 3 furbabies did not rest until they had every newly planted tulip dug up, trying to get to 'the bone'. Just try and keep your bulbs as cool as possible, and then plant asap once the area is ready. Sue

Storing bulbs for a few weeks will not be a problem. Keep them in a cool place with good air circulation and they will be fine. Al

Gamebird, I'm not a bulb expert, but I know a little about them. You have a couple of choices, depending on your circumstances and what you have available as far as storage is concerned. If you have space in the refrigerator (or if you have an usused dorm-sized refrigerator sitting around taking up space), put them in those mesh bags like onions come in and store them in the veggie crisper drawer. But, you'll have to keep ripening veggies and fruits out of that drawer temporarily while you're storing the bulbs there. If that is not an option, and you have a cool and dry (but not hot and dry) location, like a basement or storm cellar, you could store them there....either in mesh bags or in fairly dry sand. If that is not an option, I'd pot them up in something, but keep it just barely moist.....too much moisture and they'll rot in our heat. They may or may not survive in the pantry depending on how hot it gets. They probably would need to be misted occasionally to keep them from getting too dry. If their blooming has dropped over the last couple of years, they probably were too crowded, so when you plant them in the ground, give them lots of space. And, I don't know if they were able to overwinter in the ground in Minn. or if you had to dig and store them indoors over the winter, but here they will overwinter in the ground as long as they are in well-drained soil. (I know you probably know that already.) If you were building in my part of Oklahoma, rain wouldn't be an issue! (smile) It might actually rain here today, but I hope it is dry there so they can finish the landscaping soon. Dawn