Hi;- Mature Bulbs are reliable bloomers when potted up in the fall, or around late September-October. Pot in a nourishing well drained mix. One thing I do is make sure they lose all of their leaves before packing. I have never stored them longer then 3-4 months at any one time so I am not sure of their storage life span. Also, I sometimes experience bulbs breaking dormancy sooner or longer than the time period. Hope that can be of some help.

I have a 2 1/2 year-old son and we also struggle with working in the yard at times. IT is better this year here are some things I have done... Let them water your containers or play with water. Drexler now tells me the flowers are crying because they are thirsty. I then give him the hose and let him have at it...last night he was right. One of my pansies was thirsty! Get excited about things. Right now EVERY DAY when I get home from work my son asks to go pick the strawberries. We go out and usually a new one is ripe (can't wait a few more weeks). He is still working on not picking the green ones, but he'll learn. Teach them what is yummy. Last year we planted carrots in a container and he would go out and pick a carrot out, wipe it off and eat it. Clean soil, no chemicals and hey he was eating carrots. Teach them to love flowers. How does it smell? How does it taste. Have them help you pick out what ones to pick. Drexler and I will do this together, go into the house and put them in vases and then talk about how pretty they are. I have a small vase by my bed that he empties out every day and replaces the water in...and then the flowers. A bit of a pain, but he is learning to appreciate my yard. Don't freak when they step on a plant, but do teach them to be nice to your plants. I have a large yard and Drex has hurt some of my plants, but we talk about how to treat them. Teach them to watch for bugs and to be interested in them. Ants can keep a kid busy for at least fifteen minutes. Tell yourself you will most likely not get a lot accomplished with your helpers so when you do accomplish something it feels good. Make them an area that is all theirs.

This post will likely earn me a reputation as the "resident safety grump," but it could save your vision, and your skin, so I will proceed. Concentrated acids are best handled by those with recent experience, along with formal training, in an academic or industrial environment where there exists "institutional memory." Concentrated acids are unforgiving. If you work outdoors, wearing a long apron of acid resistant material, with a full length face mask, 16" high rubber boots, and long rubber gloves, you will likely avoid injury. I would use a plastic bucket, cut down so that it is wider than high, for holding the acid mixture. The same bucket could be used for neutralizing the acid solution when the procedure is completed. Neutralizing concentrated acids should be done slowly and with caution. There will be heat generated, & this must be allowed to dissipate.

This is what the plant's leaves look like.