Hello there, folks. This is the first time I have worked up my nerve to ask a question on this or any forum, but it is in a good cause! My husband brought home leftover tulip bulbs from his job around December (they were new, not dug up) and the ground was frozen when I noticed them in the garage. Well, I am a TOTAL newbie to bulbs but my husband loves them, so I searched all over the Internet to find an answer (and found one, which was to "Pot them up!"). As best I could I potted them with a lot of soil (I buried them around six inches deep because that is what I read on a bulb site). I then put the pots in an unheated back room in my house (ranging from 42 - 52 degrees F). Well, it is March 6, and they are just ready to break the soil. They look thick and strong, so I know at least I didn't kill them.

Question: I live in Zone 6 (border of a/b) in SE Pennsylvania. At what point should I put them outside, or can I even do that now? I guess I mean what temps can they now survive having lived for almost three months in the conditions I described above. I think they are about right on schedule for blooming sort of "normally" (as if they had been living through a fairly cold, but not freezing, winter) - Pinocchio (March to April) and China Pink (April to May), according to the Internet.

I know very little about water/sun/heat requirements. I am not even a fan of bulbs, but I wanted to do this for my husband and I think I am now starting to love them. Sorry for my lack of knowledge - I think I redefine the word "Newbie!" Thanks for any thoughts.