Angela, welcome to the forum, and welcome to BC!!! As you can see, I am from BC (although a bit further north than you) and you will find there are several of us on the forum who come from BC. So don't feel lonely!
Normally, if you bought tulips, you would buy the bulbs in the fall, and plant them in the fall.
But you have this bucket of bulbs now, so you have to plant them now. However, by planting them now, it is unlikely that you will see them bloom this year. They need to build their roots, and store some energy in their bulbs before they bloom, and they haven't had a chance to do that.
You do not have to dig them up every year. They are very hardy, and even up here, where winter is much harsher, we don't dig them up.
Tulips should be planted in the sun to light shade. If the stems are leaning towards one direction, they are not getting enough sun, and are trying to reach for it.
They need well drained soil, with plenty of organic matter in it. So to ready your soil for your bulbs, add some compost, well rotted manure, shredded leaves, seaweed, kelp, etc. to the soil and mix it in. As time goes on, you will need to keep adding organic material, as it slowly vanishes.
When you plant the bulbs, they should be planted 2.5 times as deep as the bulb is wide. If you are planting them individually, the hole should be rounded at the bottom, so that the roots of the tulip can actually touch the soil. Before putting the bulb in, sprinkle some bone meal in the bottom, and this will help the roots be stronger.
You can also plant them in large areas, by just raking off the top layer of amended soil, sprinkling it with bone meal, placing your bulbs, and then recovering them.
Once planted, they need a good watering. Water on a regular basis, but don't let the soil get soggy, or the bulbs will just rot. While they are blooming, they require plenty of water.
You can also add a mulch about 2-3 inches deep, of organic material. Mulch will help stabilize the soil temperature, control weeds, and reduce the evaporation of moisture. The mulch could consist of shredded leaves, grass clippings, etc.
Once the tulip has bloomed, do not cut the leaves of the tulip off as the bulb needs the nutrients and sunlight to rejuvenate itself for next year. Just let them die off naturally, and they fade away to nothing.
I hope this has helped and answered most of your questions. Feel free to stop in with any questions or problems you may have or even just to chat! Good Luck!!
Val
