I'd plant it outside. Dormant bare roots planted in late fall will remain dormant until spring's warmth lets it begin to come out of dormancy. Your only problem would be if we have a warm fall that would cause it to start growth. If you choose to plant it now make sure you plant the bud union 4-6 inches below the soil surface. After planting cover it with soil. Don't pile leaves or any other protection on it until the ground freezes so it stays dormant. As mad_gallica suggests, use this as a learning experience. When you receive the replacement next spring, plant it next to this fall planted one. Then compare the two as they grow to see if fall planting is of any benefit over spring planting. Don't pot and grow indoors unless you have a heated greenhouse. Doing so will probably result in a dead or severely stressed bush by the time spring rolls around. Whatever you do avoid letting it break dormancy now, even if that means storing it in your refrigerator until it gets cooler outdoors. Remember, Spring is only 5 months away.

If I understand the situation correctly, there are a few different avenues you could take... You could pull them from their pots, brush off any excess soil, wrap them loosely in a paper product... like newspaper or brown paper... and store them in a dry, cool, dark area of your home for a forced dormancy... some basements would fit the description... or you could store them in a dedicated refrigerator that didn't get too cold, taking care to keep them away from the walls, perhaps by placing the wrapped bulbs in cardboard shoe boxes. The point is to keep the bulbs cool, dry, and dark... but not freezing. The bulbs must not freeze or they will die. After an appropriate number of weeks, the dormancy can be broken, and the bulbs re-potted and placed in a well lighted, warm area... at which time you'd resume watering. You could take those bulbs that show fresh growth and bring them inside, placing them in a well lighted window area, and begin treating them as you would any other type of houseplant... watering and feeding as needed... allowing them to grow and bloom on their natural schedule. This "evergreen" treatment normally produces scapes sometime in spring or early summer, and bulbs treated this way tend to slow growth in autumn and rest during winter. You would adjust watering and feeding, slowing down while they rest. (This is how I grow most of my bulbs.) Or, you could leave them in their pots, let them dry again, and store the pots in a cool, dry, dark space... a space that doesn't freeze... like your garage, or basement... some people tip the pots on their sides so they remember not to water, that those particular plants are in dormancy. Some bulbs will resume growth when they have rested enough, or you can bring them out of dormancy after the appropriate number of weeks have passed. Information on forcing dormancy should be available within the FAQ posted at the top of this forum... or, you can use google or your favorite search engine to locate any information available through the internet. I would suggest, however, that bulbs grown in a peat-based, bagged potting soil consisting of a fine particulate be re-potted into fresh medium every year... which allows you to check for dead roots and any other dead plant matter, removing anything that might hinder healthy root growth... it also helps to restore somewhat of a more aerated environment, important for healthy root growth. The method in which you choose to grow your bulbs is entirely up to you. I find it easier to allow my bulbs to grow, bloom, and rest as they see fit... but forcing dormancy is also an option, depending on when you want to schedule blooming.

Not too late at all. If anything, maybe a few weeks late. Anything needing 30 days cold will do just fine starting now.

Several people have emailed me for Seedling Updates, so I thought I'd just post them for folks who are curious. It's been about five weeks and the zonal geraniums, red-hot pokers, and dahlias, have done great. The roses sprouted quickly, grew a true leaf each, and then quickly died. Oh well, it's fun to try and the seedlings I'm really excited about (the geraniums/pokers/dahlias) are doing great. I've got lots of seeds planted in pots outdoors (some sprouting, some not (yet)) but here are the ones that really benefit from an early start indoors( all are in four-inch pots): Geranium Seedlings March 1, 2007 Dahlia seedlings March 1, 2007 Kniphofia seedlings March 1, 2007 I've recently planted variegated snapdragons, variegated-leaf tomatoes (fun white-swirled foliage with white-striped green fruit that turns red and tastes pretty good actually), Lopezia, and a few others too. If you're curious, take a look, and feel free to send in an update of what you've started indoors, and how it's doing. Happy seed-starting, Grant