WOW! I am so glad that I am not the only one! LOL! I bought some tulip bulbs last fall, and I was going to plant them in containers. However, I never got round to doing that. I left the bulbs in the unheated (but insulated) garage, which was in the mid 30's to low 40's during winter. About a month ago, I planted the bulbs in some containers, and now they are sprouting very well in the garage! My questions are: 1. When will it be safe to take the containers outside? It can still go to low 30's here at night. 2. How likely are they going to bloom this year, given that the bulbs were chilled in the garage? I am quite surprised by how well they are sprouting! Thanks!

There is not much you can do. Even if you just get cold nights it will be enough to shut the bulb foliage growth off. I don't think any of the bulbs will get to the flower stage. You may just get foliage & the cold will not hurt that it will just force the bulb to go dormant like it should. You should be happy to know you have such strong bulbs because they want to put up foliage already.

I would clean them all up. Dead canes, diseased leaves should go. You can use Elmers type glue, wood glue, fingernail polish, etc. I guess wax if you want, why not. Not they don't grow from the ends you cut. There are little bud eyes where the leaves come out. Just look at the beginning of where the leaf comes out of cane, you will understand. Actually there is a new video from Ashdown Roses I will add link. He is working on an established rose but I found that all the info is there for all types of rose plants. Yes, you could plant them. Don't put the mulch right up to the shank/trunk until you are getting ready for winter. By then you will know all about that :-) if you stay on with the rose forum. There is a steep learning curve but after the climb things start to make sense. Good luck! Allison PS Ashdowns videos on YouTube are veeeery helpful for us newbies. Here is a link that might be useful: Summer Rose Clean Up

Just so you know, USDA 5 is usually considered the lowest zone JM's can be safely grown in....and even a number of zone 5 souls have difficulty with them :-) Yes, you can overwinter them in their containers but they will need protection. An unheated basement or barely heated garage - somewhere where the temperature does not fall much, if anything, below freezing but stays below around 45F (7C) also. Or, you can sink the pots in the ground outdoors in a protected location but you do run some risk of cold damage if you have a rough winter, just by virtue of your location.