End of summer early fall is the best time for lily diggin in my book!
Lift- divide- and seperate!
It is best done in September though- October gets iffy and November is out for most everything in my experience- I will bury established pots- without disturbing the plant or roots- into beds in October and November to "winter" them over- but you still must remember to water these-
I wouldn't mulch tll the ground freezes- you don't want them to get all hot and bothered and decide to grow now- you want them to nap through the winter and come up rested and rejuvinated in the spring!

Lift- divide- and separate.

I'm glad it was a woman who said that. (tee hee)

IMO for most lilies, October is still fine for planting lily bulbs. Exceptions being some orientals and some straight species.

The (Minnesota) North Star Lily Society bulb sale is October 7.

Rick

Rick, there calendar says the 14th is that wrong? I just googled it for the times on the 7th. I hope it is the 14th we are getting home from a weeks vacation on the 7th.

Pauline

The North Star Lily News (their newsletter) says Oct 7. But since you brought it up, I checked their web site. Right on the home page it says "Updated Calendar", and they did change it.

The lily bulb sale has been changed to October 14

Thanks Pauline,
Rick

Julie, do you think it is necessary to mulch at all? Would they survive without the Mulch? Thanks

Hey there Judy-
I may not be the best person to answer this question-
I am Martagonally challenged (I can kill Martagon lillies good!)- and Mulch challenged as well- I tend to not remove oak leaves soon enough in the spring- and they hold on to the cold moisture and seem to give rise to damp rot to the things I am trying to protect- I am not a mulcher gardener. It also inhibits creeping charlie removal. I don't want to use chemicals- so pull I must!
If you do mulch your garden beds- go right ahead and spread mulch on these as well. Some of the prettiest lillies I have seen are in mulched beds. (Say, in Rick's and Tammie's gardens).....
But- asiatic lilies- they are easy! They will take care of themselves- really! Make sure you bury them to their desired depth (or close to it)- cover them up- pat the soil just a bit to be sure there are no big air pockets- and walk away. You dont even have to water them! The fall weather will give them what they need for now. Um- that is how I do it- but you may want to stick a lable in there- that is how I should do it!
If your soil is not well draining- or rich and full of organic matter- dig a larger hole for the bulb and ammend as you go- The idea is not to have a puddle of water through the winter where you plant the bulb- and when you give it the best dirt you can to grow in- it will give you the best show it can! Most asiatics are almost as easy as tuplips and other fall planting bulbs.
Now- that is for lilies hardy to our zone. If you are a zone pusher- trying to overwinter something that is rated to zone 5/6 or higher- well- I am definatly not the person to ask. In my thoughts- you would need to plant in a protected area- or near the foundation of your house- something that would give the ground it is planted in the conditions it reqires- I am not an adept zone pusher.
One more word of caution- the squirrels do seem to know just what plants you treasure most- and remove them. They are champs at this- and don't mind digging deep in freshly dug soil, especially in the fall! Protect what you treasure.
I am sure you will have a very impressive display of gorgeous lillies next summer!

OH-DUH-
I just remembered- there is a lily forum- with a FAQ area I bet- if you spend a little time there- I bet you will be answering our lily questions!!
I am going to go check it out-
Julie

You dont even have to water them!

Julie! Bite your tongue! True, you don't have to water them (a testament to their hardiness), but that will delay their establishment. You could plant lily bulbs in spring too, for that matter, but usually it is not recommended for the same reason.

Another good reason to water: helps settle the soil and makes the soil less fluffy and less attractive for digging varmits.

As was said, less hardy bulbs do need more protection - which usually translates in to a mulch addition. This is one exception where spring planted bulbs may be advantageous. Spring planted bulbs will be optimally established before their first winter, and will have the best chance of survival.

Rick

Well- Rick- I said I may not be the best person to answer that question- ; ) That's how I do it- Sometimes my ways pay off- look at the Candy Lillies- and other times- well- look at my species lillies..... over crowded- stunted-- no blooms-competing with plum trees- not to worry- they will be lifted to a new bed where they will not have to compete as much for water and sun and should be wonderful in no time!
I hope......

I still can't get over those behemoth Candy lilies.