If the ground is cracking it's way too dry. Asiatic lilies like constantly moist soil. I planted some doubles around Mother's Day and they are up and blooming already.
Were the bulbs fresh, soft and moist when you planted them?
If they were dry and papery like onion skins then they were past their prime. But start watering heavily and maybe you can save them.

Lilies are tough, hardy plants. They will grow with very little care, although of course they grow better with regular feeding and watering.

If your lilies didn't come up, I would guess that there was something wrong with the bulbs. Ideally they should be planted as soon as you get them - any season is okay here. If they got moldy or dried out, start over with fresh bulbs. And put down some mulch.

Lilies will sometimes lie dormant for a year after planting. This happened to me last year with the lily bulbs that are currently in full bloom in the garden.
I hope you have the same experience.

Danita

I planted my first Asiatic lilies ('Stargazer') in a 12 inch pot this spring & they have 4 buds/blooms per bulb now. They are only about a foot tall, but I suspect that they'll multiply and grow taller next year (?) I potted them because I could more easily control the soil, moisture, etc. General advice on the internet was to plant them fairly deep, like 8 inches.

How can you live in Alpharetta and be that far from Atlanta?

davidcf, I recently moved to alpharetta and proabably using the distance to airport. I've never been to Atlanta downtown. So it should be less tan 40 miles :)