I got these Lilies from Wal-Mart and they are already pretty big. Can I go ahead and plant these in the ground in the sun? If I put the bulbs down 4-6 inches, the Lily growth will be out of the ground and will be in the sun. Will the sun hurt them if they aren't used to it?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Only because they were grown in a greenhouse and not outside, it will be a big shock for them to go directly in the ground outside in the sun (where they should eventually be). So you should acclimate them first, because the environment inside a greenhouse is way different than outside now. Keep them outside in half day sun for 5-7 days, than full sun 7 days, then plant. People do shorten this process, and there will still be success, but it does put more stress on the plant. If you bought the lily inside the store and not in the outside garden center, then first big with 3-5 days outside in the shade, then continue with my aforementioned recommendation.

Be sure to cut off the flowering part of the stem after it blooms. (Don't cut off leaves.) This improves the health and future of the plant so you will have better bloom next season than you would otherwise have.

Rick, are your instructions just for sprouted bulbs (which is what I took Jeanne's post to be referring to), or potted plants (which is what I suspect)?

Oh! Right! And thanks, Joshua, for catching that. My instructions are for already potted up and growing lilies. Not bulbs in a bag. If it is already sprouting bulbs in a bag, that's obviously different!

So if the sprout will already be sticking out of the ground when you plant, take some cardboard on a stick(s) to temporarily shade the sprout (at least somewhat) for a week. Don't expect much out of the plant this year. As it is already growing without a developed root system, flowers will likely be small and may be distorted. But next season it will look normal and should bloom well.

Thank you so much Rick and Joshua. Joshua was correct. My lilies are sprouting in the bag that they came in. Right now it is very cool and rainy. Rick, do you think it is still okay to put them in the ground and give them some type of shade? I see that some of my other Lilies are coming up so I am assuming the ground temp is okay for planting them. I may not get them planted until this weekend but they should still be okay. I may put them temporarily into pots to keep them going. I appreciate your advice.

Cool and rainy is just fine to plant in, as long as the soil isn't sloppy clay based. If the soil digs out in chunks that don't break apart easily, then wait until it dries out more. Meanwhile, yes, it would be a good idea to jump start them and get some roots starting in pots so they can immediately get going when you plant them outside. Or for just a week, put some moist soil in the bag they came in.

Thanks so much for the advice Rick.

I must have bought the same Walmart Lillies. Mine are red and growing in the bag. I put them in a pot in sun/shade.

How big should the pot be per bulb?