Tulips are normally planted in the fall, but you can plant them indoors during the winter, too.

If you missed planting tulips last fall or are looking for a project to beat the mid-winter blues, consider planting some tulip bulb indoors now. They just need a little chilling to provide the vibrant blossoms that are one of the first signs of spring and a classic in the garden.

The best source of tulip bulbs right now are new bulbs leftover from last fall, but they may be hard to find unless you have some that you forgot about or ran out of time to plant. Check with local garden centers or try mail order.

Shorter tulip varieties are usually easier to force, but any tulips can be used with the right treatment.

Unplanted tulip bulbs need about six weeks of chilling to induce growth. Wrap unplanted bulbs in newspaper or put them in a paper bag to block the light, then place them in the refrigerator. A crisper drawer is the best place, but avoid storing them with apples or other fruit that release ethylene. Ethylene is a naturally-occuring gas released by apples, pears, etc. as they ripen, and it will damage bulbs among other things when sharing a small enclosed space.

Bulbs can also be planted in pots and kept in a cold garage or basement, but this method is less reliable because it depends on Kansas weather. If temperatures get above 50 degrees, the bulbs may start to sprout before they are ready to flower or it may prevent them from sprouting and flowering at all.

Also, the bulbs are less insulated in pots than they would be in the ground, so they will need protection if temperatures drop and stay below freezing for an extended period of time.

To plant the bulbs, simply fill a planter with good quality potting mix to about 6 inches from the top. Set the bulbs in the pot with pointed end up and very little space between them. Packing them in makes for a more vibrant show when they grow and bloom. Cover the bulbs with potting mix to just below the rim of the planter and water gently and thoroughly.

If planting after a chilling period, place the freshly planted pots in a cool room if possible. The cool basement or unheated garage is again ideal. Keep the soil moist, but avoid saturation.

After a few weeks, move pots to a bright room or a window with indirect light. If bulbs were planted before chilling, move the pots to the a bright room after about eight weeks. The ideal temperature to get tall stems and full flowers is around 65 degrees. Flowers will also last longer at this temperature than they will if exposed to warmer temperatures.

When bulbs finish flowering, they can be transplanted into the landscape, left to die back naturally in the pots they are in, or composted. Tulips are perennial, but only in the right conditions. In this area, bulbs often rot in heavy clay soils or in irrigated landscapes.