My condolences on the loss of your mother-I lost my father last year at about this time to CHF.
I don't believe your garlic will last a year; I think if you can get it in the ground now, you should do it. Planting later will only get you smaller bulbs. Could you cover the planted garlic with plastic to give it a bit of a warmer environment for a while to simulate your fall season and give the roots a bit of time to get established?
Don't know about trimming the tops. Hopefully, someone has had experience with that. Think I remember reading that the goal for my area was to get some root growth, but no top growth before the winter cold set in. Once the tops are growing here, it's spring and you want to encourage growth. I know your area is much milder- my daughter lived in Astoria, OR before she moved to Blue Lake, CA- but I'm not sure how different it is to grow garlic in your climate.
Good luck with your garlic and the rest of your garden,
kath
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