A Bright Idea - You Can Still Plant Bulbs

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - You bought bulbs, you forgot about them, and now they're sitting there staring at you. Stop kicking yourself and just go out and plant them already! Yes, you should have done it in October or November but they'll probably be fine.

Many spring bulbs need a cooling phase - if you had your bulbs in a garage or other cold spot, they've already chilled some. But if not, it's only mid-January so there's weeks of winter weather to come.

If you can still dig down a few inches and get the bulbs into the ground, go ahead and plant them and let Nature take it from there. If your ground's too hard by now, plant your bulbs in a big frost-free pot or windowbox in a sunny spot - just use bagged potting soil from the store - bury the bulbs at the right depth, water them once, and walk away.

Imagine how happy you'll be to see them blooming in April or May or June! And if they don't perform perfectly this spring, at least they'll be off your to-do list - and already planted for next year.