If they look like little pieces of dried cork and their tunics are loose around the actual bulb, it's probably not worth trying. If they are still plump then it's worth putting them in. In zone 9 you can probably leave them in the ground all year, only thinning them out when they become overcrowded. A sandy sort of soil that gets at least half a day's sunlight and reliable winter water will give you a good chance of success with your Freesias. How long will they last? If they get too shrivelled then even a few months is too long. And if they start to sprout but aren't planted then they rapidly run out of the ability to grow/flower. For many bulbs, four to six months - fewer if they have not been hardened off or have had their leaves removed too soon. The main reasons for lifting bulbs are: they've become overcrowded; you want to share with someone; you need the space for something else and don't want to put the spade through them; or the climate has extremes that the bulbs can't tolerate.

Water once after putting in soil and no more until shoots appear (if they do). Freesias are one that may make it planted a year late. Nothing to lose by trying. You could do some in soil and some with the paper towel. Of course we want to hear your results :-) New freesia bulbs will probably hit the nurseries in late Sept.

I hesitated to predict sprouting time because it is the first season in your garden/climate.Since they were just planted I would not expect to see any green for a month? As Bossyvossy says, a nice surprise show. Though after sprouting they will need regular water. In my neck of the woods sprouting right now (in the ground) is an unnamed old species, white with a yellow dab. It blooms first, the end of Feb. Which means I should see foliage of the hybrids by Nov. They bloom in March here. Of the lesser bulbs freesias are a favorite because each bud opens successively, giving a longer bloom period. And once they sprout they must have sunlight.

air temps are not relevant right now ... with a dormant bulb .... its soil temps that will trigger root growth and eventually green sprouts ... the question is ... will they care if the soil is a bit cool.. for a couple weeks .. while the soil temps rise ... or might they rot .... or in the alternative.. if they sprout fast.. will the greenery be frost damage .. of course.. the fail safe is ... give ma nature a few weeks to understand its supposed to be spring ... lol ken ps: in the double alternative.. you might be able to pot them up.. and force them early indoors .. what a better place for such a fragrant plant ... and then after bloom move the pot outdoors to store energy for next year .... im speculating.. you can look it up ... if you have a plethora of bulbs.. a couple in a pot might be a fun experiment ... i got interested: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=forcing+freesia&t=ffcm&ia=web