Order your tulips bulbs from a reputable source ie. Van Engelen in summer for fall delivery. If you're hoping for naturalization choose Darwins. Keep them refrigerated (no fruits present!) til planting.

I don't know the specific month for your zone 7. Maybe October?

There are some informative sites about tulips - too much to learn to post here. You're right. There are much better tulips than those sold in grocery stores.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.vanengelen.com/catview.cgi?_fn=Category&_category=Tulips

Van Engelen is a great resource for bulk bulbs, I also shop at Brecks and White Flower Farm (www.brecks.com and www.whiteflowerfarm.com). I started with bulbs from Brecks which I found were more expensive per unit, but were the best quality of any I've purchased. But it's the difference between an A+ and an A / A- rating so you still get really nice tulips from other sources. I also have a few hundred I got from Van Engelen last year - the darwin hybrids are HUGE and beautiful, and the others are all getting ready to bloom - looks like no problems or duds.

The bulbs you buy from the store have been forced and are what might be described as "tired." You might be able to get a bloom from them with heavy off season fertilizing (when I say heavy, you still want to go with the package directions, just fertilize a few times... too heavy a hand at one feeding can destroy what you're trying to help by "burning" it).

tulip bulbs are sold in the fall. they are meant to be planted in the fall for spring bloom. they need the cold winter weather to be able to come up & bloom in the spring. the ones you see for sale around easter are forced in greenhouses to be in bloom around easter. they may or may not come up again the next spring if you plant the bulbs after easter. depends on how much cold they get during that winter. also, never cut down the dying green foliage of tulips after they get done blooming. if you cut it down before it turns yellow, you won't get tulips from them the next year. I accidently learned the hard way. I had some gorgeous mystery double yellow tulips come up one year. I accidently ran over the leaves with a lawn mower & never seen them come up again. lesson learned.