The lily bulbs sold commercially usually bloom the first year. They do get bigger and taller the second year. Forced bulbs are started earlier indoors, not compelled to grow faster. Even so, the effort exhausts them and they often won't bloom for a couple of years after that. Successful gardening involves learning how to cooperate with nature, not subjugate it. This fall, plant some spring-blooming bulbs to keep you happy till your lilies bloom. Janet who loves lilies too and has about 40 of them. Janet's Garden

They will eat the bulbs...but I've never seen them eat the shoots. They will however pull them up, which for a lily is bad because the bulb only sends up one shoot a year. That being said, I've got hundreds of lilies in my yard, and lots of squirrels as well. What I do is put chicken wire over the planting area. This not only prevents them from digging, but also irritates their feet, so if they are going to mess with the shoots, then won't. But, I do have lots of lilies with now chicken wire over then, and have never lost a shoot to a squirrel, or any other animal.

Actually, it was Menard's, a much smaller hardware chain. There is no Lowe's near here, unfortunately. I used to pass one on my way to school (70 miles away) until I graduated last fall. I would plan an hour before class just to stop there! That's where I got all my Orientals to form the backbone of my lily collection. (And more perennials than I can count) All those turned out to be true, so I was lucky. But the Regals never grew. I'm open to surprises: I've found it often makes gardening more fun. If I feel I have to have something specific (like the Black Beauty I needed last fall), I'll go ahead and order from B&Bs or somewhere. After posting here this morning I google searched these varieties. For two, Monte Negro and Navona I found pictures/listings that matched the pictures on the box;(now lets see if the actual flowers match the names!) For Toronto, the one that is supposed to be salmon with a yellow center, I found listings for a both the yellow as pictured, and a solid pink lily! For Kansas I found nothing at all. That picture is SO pretty I sure hope it will be like that; I'm not a fan of yellow, but this was so delicate and soft. For Bahia Blanca found nothing. Do post that picture of the blue lily! Sounds fascinating.

The Stargazers will require about 400 hours of chill/vernalization at a temperature of about 35 degrees F to assure a good bloom next spring. Lilium bulbs dug and sold for Fall planting (which I assume these were) are not prechilled; bulbs shipped in March/April for Spring Planting are prechilled by the seller. So, about a month in the fridge should do. Watch to make sure they stay just a little moist--don't let them dry out because lily bulbs don't have a protective shell like tulips do. And then plant them right along with your tulips. In your zone 9, Stargazers may or may not require an annual refigerator vernalization for a good bloom--see how they flower in 2013; and decide from there. If you have further questions about lilies in particular don't hesitate to ask. Good Luck!