I received 5 O.T. lilies about 1.5 weeks ago and I planted them. We have had unusually mild weather since then. I am expecting two more lilies from another nursery and when I called to see when they would be sending them she said - Southern Ontario is much too warm to plant these lilies now - they will grow. If the ones I did plant do start to grow will they be damaged by the first frost. They are planted 8-9: deep. Is there anything I can do to make sure they survive. Thanks

Just my two cents worth here. If you are being told the second two lilies from a different nursery will start growing now if planted it sure sounds like they are from last year's harvest and probably being stored in a cooler. Even if you put them in the fridge while waiting for cooler weather they still would likely start growing.

If it were me I would just plant them down like you did the others. If they sprout they will freeze off but they should come back next year. If they are actually from this year's harvest, harvested in the fall, then they have already bloomed for the year and should not sprout again until next year.

So after this rambling, I say just plant them.

Spring is a better time to purchase lily bulbs in Ontario (I think).

I think Pard means "Spring is a better time to purchase O.T. lily bulbs in Ontario."

That I would agree with...

Or- grow them in a pot..and similate the weather ,they would like, by placing them inside[treat them as part of the family]

I'm a Southern Ontario gardener myself and have planted many a lily of all types in the fall. Most of my bulbs were planted in the beginning to middle of October. I think I know the nursery that told you it was much too early to plant, they tried that on me too. I have never had a lily start to grow in the fall unless like pardalinum said it was a leftover from the spring (in which case they never grew anyway). It's now January 7th and with the lack of snow and the warmth, none of my lilies not even the martagons which are always the first up in my garden are showing any signs of growth. I think the bulbs you planted in October will be fine.

I purchase a lot from the Ednie for pot sales, and of course, some of them are held over. I have had many sprout right after planting, and normally they skip a year blooming. But then they come back like gangbusters.

This particular nursery I'm referring to has shipped me bulbs in the past that had been held over from spring sales and not stored properly. They were very dehydrated and spongy when I received them and they failed to grow at all. They did give me a credit for them though.

Mate!!- there are a lot of things in the world going on at the moment,that i dont agree with and it all boils down to a couple of things involving ''common sense and decency''[something the world has forgot] They dont give a damn, as long as the 'green folding stuff' is in their pocket.,,.We've got some ''terrible'' Australian suppliers here,that when you point out an error, they say 'Oh thank you', but we will send something else next year,.,.,.,.not to mention 'virus'....,I have operated a ' out the front gate' hobby business for 4 years,[with 1 complaint], but it is the 'lack of care' businesses, that are forcing me to buy'within state',to retain quality-you feel like lining the suppliers up against a wall and throwing their useless bulbs back at them!!!!!{ theres my 'vent' for this evening}

Holicow, what a nuiscence, not to mention loosing a season of bloom because the bulbs are bad.