Lilies should be planted in fall or spring or as soon as you get the bulbs. Planting depth should be about 2 and one half times as deep as the diameter of the bulbs. So bigger bulbs go in deeper than small bulbs but about six inches below ground is average depth. They like their roots cool or in the shade and their tops in the sun. A mulch of wood chips over the roots or low growing plants near the roots to shade them helps. They will flower in partial shade. Like most bulbs lilies need well drained soil so a raised bed is best if you have clay soil. You can also grow lilies in pots that are at least 16 inches deep. Water when the top two inches of soil dries out. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti