Just make sure they're dry before you store them in a cool place and the leaves will slowly wither on their own. After about 6 to 8 weeks, they should be ready to come back out into the bright and warmer spot and you'll have some beautiful blooms. Look in the archives for over wintering hippies and you'll see very detailed instructions from far more experienced folks than me. Good luck :-)))

Some hippeastrum species don't actually go dormant willingly. I generally listen to the plant, if it wants to stay green, let it and don't try to force a dormancy on it.

Interesting. Fred, when you say "dry", do you mean the leaves or the bulb itself?

dbarron, I am so new to this, I wish I could tell about what these bulbs want. I will look more in the forum, can you tell me how to search a topic within a particular forum? Thank you!

Yes, as the bulbs dry, they will absorb the rest of the moisture available in the leaves and will slowly go dormant. Lots of folks cut the leaves off in the fall, while other let the leaves just dry on their own. This year, I took the middle approach and trimmed the leaves half way. That way there wouldn't be such a mess in the basement when they're fully dry.

Here's an old discussion link which might be helpful to review. Remember google (or other search engine) is your friend, use it.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1751359/lets-talk-about-dormancy-with-mr-charles-barnhoorn