Do it while you can still see the stem and can leave enough room to dig up the bulb without putting a trowel or fork (preferred) through it. If you're going to plant them somewhere else in the garden - have the site ready: dug over, compost added, watering can tanked up). Lilies don't do well if left out of the ground. They might grow on but it can takes ages to never to recover from drying out. If you need to lift them for winter they probably need to go into a pot of damp mix and be in a no-freeze place. If they live out, then mulch well once they've been replanted.

Whether it is a "good idea" or not depends on how badly you want them moved. The best time to move lilies is from Fall - winter. The closer to that time the better, so if you want them moved, move them now. If a lily bulb is overly stressed during its growing period it may respond by producing fewer buds or having its buds fail to bloom. That way it can use its energy to recover. Mona Lisa is an early oriental but it is still late enough that it shouldn't be in "full swing" now. Just be very careful if you dig it up to disturb the roots as little as possible (large dirt ball) and be VERY careful not to damage the sprout that is probably growing underground at this point. (If you break off the top of the sprout you won't get a bloom this season.) There are a number of posts on this topic is you search the forum you should find them. Good Luck! -Helen

Hello Newbee to Lily and welcome to what will undoubtedly become a wonderful addiction. When I was new to lilies, I handled them gingerly as if they were porcelain dolls quite frankly. I've come to realize that they are much hardier than we realize. Case in point - my brother and sisterinlaw just downsized from a large home to a condo. I planted almost every single lily in the yard - these were birthday presents to my dear SIL. I was not going to leave the bulbs and dug up almost every single one of them (this is in April). I put them in a pot (no soil -just the bulbs) and put the pot in the basement. Well...as sometimes happens, life took over and I forgot the bulbs! By the time I got to them, about two weeks later, they looked really bad. But, ever the optimist, I planted them in a mixture of potting soil and good old garden dirt. All of them have come back...each and every one of them. I'll keep them in the pot this year and will overwinter them there as well. I might just keep them there permanently. The older I get, the more I find container gardening to be my first choice. Your lilies will bring such beauty to your garden that I'm sure you will end up buying more and more. I caught a sale at B&D last year - I bought some Casa Blanca bulbs that were as big as grapefruits. Got them into the ground too late (mid-May) but they did fine. I can't wait to see what they're going to do this year. There are many fine mail order retailers out there. I always use Garden Watchdog too - do a Google and you'll go right to the site. Ciao, OITGAD P.S. Here is a picture of Golden Splendour - second year. I put her into the garden two years ago - last year she was almost 6 feet high and this year she sent up another "volunteer." You've got to love a plant that keeps on "giving" back!

That depends on where and when you want to plant them. I live in Chicago. The time I plant lilies depends on the type. But for immediate results, I like to plant them in early spring right after the ground has thawed. I used to order a lot of lilies from Brent and Becky's Bulbs who ship Lilies in spring. I get to see them bloom that very summer. Quite satisfying. However, I stopped buying from them 10 years ago when the latest batch was infected with virus. I lost nealy all my lily collection from that infection. You can order lilies from BnB now. Their catalogue is online.