They don't like 'wet feet' and they do like to have humus in the soil. Leaf mould is good. Heads in the sun and cool feet - like Clematis. And they appreciate a topping with an organic mulch. If you plant them in company with shrubs ensure they get reasonable sun during the day. If you got the bulbs locally they probably won't need lifting for winter protection. And they don't like being out of the ground for too long - unless you leave them in a box with potting soil to protect their scales. Even when they lose their stems and leaves, they never get to be as dormant as a daffodil. If the scales develop a deep purple shade the bulbs have probably become too hot and dry. You might only get short stems and no flowers the following year. Leave enough room for daughter bulbs to develop around the original mother plant and form a larger clump. Some of the asiatics develop stem bulbils which drop off and start to sprout on the ground's surface. Some lilies have two sets of roots: basal which are the first ones and are like daffodil roots; then another set which are very close to the surface and come from the stem not the bulb itself. They're feeding roots, which is why mulching and a humus-rich soil is so good for growing good lilies. Expect stems 3' plus. Don't sniff the orientals too closely - they're generous about sharing their pollen, and it can stain.

New to these myself, my best Stargazer was a nursery purchase with two stalks. Guessing it went 18-20" but made a nice porch accent in a 12" tall pot. (Bulbs went to mush over the winter in the pot.) I started some small Stargazer bulbs last year, box-store cheapos "Color in a Bag" sound familiar? Anyway they all grew and each bloomed a ragged, mis-shapened flower (again potted and with minimul care). As mentioned above, they were very late to bloom. I was satisified considering the minimal investment. Popped those in the ground for the winter with higher expectations for this season? Just my experience, hope it helps. ~Wes

In a situation like this I think the best thing for these lilies would be for friend(s) to adopt them either temporarily or permanently until such time the owner can replant them. Don't dig the bulbs and try to store them dry like say tulips or daffodils. Lilies are never really dormant, even after the foliage has died back. The lilies need to keep their green foliage until it dies back naturally in the fall. If there aren't a huge number of them you can pot them, but not small pots. They need room. If you do pot them up, don't store out in the hot sun or the bulb will bake in the pot. I'm going through that situation now with a few I have in pots. I moved them under my pine tree so they don't bake. Whatever you decide, when you dig take as much soil with the rootball as you would with any perennial. Hope this helps.

Prcooled before planting?I haven't heard of that,but maybe that is if you plant them in the spring and are expecting blooms the same year.Go ahead and plant them now.They will get the cold needed this winter and will bloom for you next year.