Hey Mommyfox
I think I can help with this...or at least give you some information.

Tulips are out...they need 12 weeks of chillin before we plant. I get mine in the ground just after Christmas and they bloom in mid Marchto mid April depending upon the variety.

Go to the bulb forum for the how to force hyacinths: it involves potting then putting them in the fridge...never done that.

Daffs should be easy! No chill time, I plant those in the pot with tulips, plant around christmas, they bloom in that same period. Soooo, if you planted an early blooming variety in early October they should be up and pretty certain in bud but not full bloom around Christmas. Again, it is imperfect.

I go for amaryllis. more later

your grape hyacinths are doing what they do for me every year. I don't know why they do this...but it is comforting because I know they made it through the heavy rains.

If you like amaryllis, I'm giving a link. I tried this collection last year and they all bloomed just before or during the holidays. They bulbs are enormous compared to those are the big-box stores.

there is also a collection of double 'ryllis and Dutch. The Dutch usually come later and have bloomed later for me.

They can be planted out in the garden early next spring and they usually flower the following spring. These bulbs have put on at least 2 flower stalks of 4 big flowers each. Very dramatic, but if you need to transport them, those tall stalks up and ready to flower before you give them can be a pain.

Ok Ok I confess, I have this bulb problem
c

Here is a link that might be useful: Christmas flowering Amaryllis

I have given paperwhites at Christmas several times. I find pretty containers. One year small green mixing bowls at Dollar General. I "plant" them in white acquariam gravel and water. I have no way knowing how to time the blooms for the time I want to give them but it occured to me why not let people actually watch them bud and bloom? So I start them before Christmas but give them before blooming.

Heheh, it's ok Cynthia, I have a "bulb problem" too. Maybe we should start a Bulboholics Anonymous.

"Last week I went into Calloway's, and really, I only wanted some herbs. But there were these big bags of tulips and daffodils right out front, and I've been thinking about them ALL WEEK ... "

Maybe I can find some double paperwhites, that'd be cool.

I'll only join AFTER I buy all the spring flowering bulbs...grins. You'll have to come by for the tulip show this spring. We're about to order 2000+ tulips.

....see those bags of bulbs in you brain suddenly seem, well, frugal don't they.

I know there are at least 2 different types of paperwhites. The link I gave you has the Ziva which I believe is the most common and another. The other they say will bloom in about 4 weeks. You can take the names with you when you go back to Calloways. Know I'll be with you in spirit.

c

Aaaaaaaa, 2000 tulips?! I'm in bulb envy! I may just order from the link you gave me, they have summer snowflakes at a really good price.

They have everything at a really good price and the bulbs are bigger than the big box stores. Of course, there is that thing called shipping charges errrgh!

I've never tried the summer snowflakes. I'll have to go check them out. One of my alltime favorites are the giant anemones and giant ranunculus they offer.

There's something about a bulb: so much excitment in such a little package. I love the whole thing from foliage breaking ground through flowering.

Maybe it's that it doesn't FEEL like a plant. It's like a mondo-big seed. So you get to see the whole life cycle in a season or two, and watch it start over again the next year.

Plus, they're so much cheaper and easier to handle than a growing plant. And even my two-year-old can help plant them. (The begonias I let him help plant never did fully recover ...)

Grr, I need to fill out a $50 order ... maybe I'll get some more grape hyacinth, always need more of those.

if you find the giant anemones at all appealing, you might try them The de Caen mix and St. Brigid mix are really colorful. You can even plant them right away. It takes about 4 months for them to bloom, the foliage looks like bright parsley and they are even tougher in freezing temps than pansies. I get more people stop and ask me what they are than any other flower I grow.

of the grape grape hyacinths, I loved big spike but they didn't return for me. Same for Ft. Hood.

I found a good link for growing bulbs indoors in the winter.

Here is a link that might be useful: bulb tips

Barb
This is very helpful but it has some erroneous information which is a big surprise since it is North Haven.

One thing is the length of chill time for tulips. I've always heard a minimun of 30 days, never 45. I have gotten some on clearance at Thanksgiving, chilled them until mid Jan. and had many of them bloom, but the success rate was way lower than those I chilled for 80-90 days.

Our problem isn't the overall temperature, the the swings in temperature from cold to warm. Some winters it stays cool enough beneath the ground, but most it doesn't. So the longer chill equals more success.

They recommend planting anemones in Jan. What they don't mention is it takes 4 months for anemones to bloom. The flowers don't like the heat, but are happy in cold. Their suggestion as anemones blooming in May with only a month before the heat kills 'em dead. Instead, plant in October, the bloom in Feb and last through May.

Ranunculus don't like heat either.

I haven't read the rest carefully.

I ordered some paperwhites from Van Engelenemenimins (pthb, I can't spell it) to force inside. I also added some summer snowflakes (galanthus) and some muscari to fill out the order. Those aren't going to be forced, those are gonna go in the ground. Anyone know if I ought to chill those before plopping them in the ground?

I don't know about snowflakes, suggest you also post on the bulb forum to double your chances. I usually keep my muscari in the fridge until I'm ready to plant everything, but I don't know if that is necessary. I just don't want them to get lost in a closet, cools is always better than warm for bulbs. Think onions, where would they like to live until used? Which muscari did you choose?

I got the muscari paradoxum. Ever tried those before? I liked the Mt. Hood, but I was afraid they wouldn't come back.

no, I haven't tried paradoxum but just took a look and they are such a deep lovely color. You just know they will stand out when everything is brownish in early spring.

I trid Mt. Hood once, they didn't do well for me and they didn't return. Last year, I got some "neglectum" because they are supposed to be really tough. I see foliage for them out there, so I'm happy about that.

If anyone has only seen the muscari bulbs at the big box places, these are much different: they are plumper with fewer duds

Here is a link that might be useful: Neglectum

Eheheh, I certainly like the name! Any plant named "neglectum" has to be good, since it describes exactly what I'm likely to do to them.