Mary, I wouldn't give up on your garlic too quickly -- mine is only a few inches tall, and some of it hasn't come up at all yet; we're still getting freezing temps as well. And yes, the garlic should start making some roots after you plant it in the fall, but not tops.
I planted a little bit of garlic (16 cloves, half Creole and half softneck) inside my unheated hoop house last fall, and that is really coming up nicely; depending on how it does as far as making bulbs, I may plant most or even all of my garlic in there this coming fall. (I did have it covered with some Reemay, but otherwise no mulch on top, and, obviously, no snow cover in there. In addition to the slightly warmer climate in there, I think the ability to control the water that the garlic receives could be a big advantage, too -- Ken/DrDawg commented recently that "heavy spring rains seem to reduce the size of the bulbs," and we almost always have a lot of rain in the spring.)
