Plant lilies right away. They are too juicy to leave out of the ground and they have a very short dormancy period. If any scales fall off, and they are healthy, plant them, too, because they are likely to sprout and grow on to form new big 'bulbs'. Professional growers do chill their lily bulbs - and they have a process for bringing them up to active growth again so they can catch a particular market for the blooms. Usually there is no need to chill the bulbs, though. Just make sure they are planted at the correct depth and don't dehydrate over summer. If they do dry out then you are better off buying in new stock because it can take years to never for a bulb to recover. If you are continuing to grow in pots remember to change the potting mix in January-February and keep them in at least a 2 gallon container (to provide the depth, moistness, and balance for the tall stems). Feed with houseplant food (foliar feed until the buds start to form - then stop so your leaves don't have white marks on them) every week at the recommended rate. Tomato food can be good because it has useful potash and nitrogen but a balanced feed should be fine. Remember to stake them when you plant the bulbs so you don't cause damage to roots or bulbs. Some bulbs put out 'normal' roots under the bulb - then create another set for feeding just under the surface where the stem comes out. You might want to lightly mulch that area with compost and worm castings for extra food and moisture to these roots. If you know your summer sun can be brutal - provide some light shade with shade cloth, or under an arbour, or even under a dappled-light tree. And keep the lilies reliably moist at all times. They do appreciate plenty of sunlight, though. For me, spring planted bulbs are those which expect summer rainfall (think Gladiolus). Autumn planted are those which expect winter wet and summer dry such as Narcissus and Tulipa.

I planted shallots purchased at the feed store last fall.I got huge tops which bloomed but never died down.Finally ,I cut back all the tops in the spring, hoping the bulbs would finally get the message & mature to be harvested.Nope. Since then, I have a whole new crop of green shoots from multiple little unmatured bulbs. They just won't quit. People here use "onion tops" from shallots to sprinkle on gumbo & most everything else. Do I have a mutant Cajun shallot that never matures/develops a papery skin or am I missing something? I've grown onions before, so maybe I'm expecting onion type behavior from shallots.Don't stores sell mature shallot bulbs, though?? The original bulbs I purchased looked like that. I think...

It's quite possible you'll get a bud (bloom) or two by the third year... but don't expect the full candelabrum you'll see in the seasons from now on. The little bulbils you see forming (even though small) will drop naturally and produce more plants for you, too. Here in zone 4, the tigers start blooming toward the end of July and can last through September. I don't think I've ever taken note when the buds actually start forming. I don't think I've ever had a plant that so many people see and want. Have never seen them for sale in nurseries or garden centers - perhaps a few mail order outfits carry them. Must be something people remember from their Grandmother's gardens. I wouldn't be without them - and I have literally hundreds scattered throughout the gardens.

"If they are not planted they will go soggy or ???" Laurie, from my understanding, lily bulbs can't be stored over winter. They need to form roots to keep the bulb healthy. Yes, zone 3, I hear ya! We just got 3-4" of snow yesterday, and the highs for the rest of the week are supposed to be below freezing. I'm not sure if these are good conditions to plant lily bulbs out now. If you are expecting to get a warm spell for awhile, then maybe they'd be ok planted out. This really hasn't been a warm fall, has it? How many bulbs do you have? Here's an idea that might work for you. It was told to me by a local nursery owner about forcing tulips, but the same theory can hold for lilies. He said for tulip bulbs, to plant them up in pots of soil and then put them in a cool place(10-15C) for a couple of weeks to let the roots develop. Then put them in a colder place(I use a spare fridge) for the duration of their dormant period. I would do this with the lilies, and just keep them in the fridge until early spring. I've had excellent results with keeping oriental lilies in the fridge like this over winter, as they're borderline hardy here. So if you only have a few bulbs and have a second fridge, or know someone who does, then this could be an option. If you have 50 bulbs, well, then, I'm outta ideas!LOL Good Luck, Laurie