TRANSPLANTING ESTABLISHED LILY BULBS--IT CAN BE DONE!

One of my favorite bulbs to plant and grow in the garden are lilies--Orientals, Trumpets, and O.T.'s!  The new little sprouts of the lily bulbs are beginning to poke up  in the garden beds right now here in the top of Utah.  I had a friend who asked if she could move her lily after it had broke through the soil and had started to grow. Well, to answer her question--the answer is YES!  Although the fall is the best time to move your bulbs, because they are dormant, if you're CAREFUL, you can successfully transplant your bulb to another area, even if it has sprouted and is up and growing.  By following a few easy steps that I'll outline here, you can move them right now and still enjoy your lilies this summer, just as these blubs pictured here were moved to better spots in the garden.

1. First, prepare the area you are going to put your bulb--this ensures that your bulb will be planted immediately, so the bulb will be out of the soil for the least amount of time.  I dig a hole deep enough to handle the bulb to be planted at the same level it has been planted;  I usually plant my orientals about 8 inches deep.  I add a teaspoon or two of bone meal and mix it in good with the soil.  Then prepare the hole by "mudding" it in--adding fully with water and letting it drain completely. 
2. CAREFULLY dig around your sprouted lily, about 5 inches around the sprout, so you won't injure the bulb in the ground.  Dig down deeply, gently pulling the soil away from the stem, or sprout, until you can see the bulb.  Dig all around the bulb, keep as much soil around it, and the stem, as possible. 
3. CAREFULLY work the bulb out of the soil, lifting out the entire clump--soil and all.  BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BREAK THE STEM OR SPROUT, AS THIS IS YOUR ONLY BLOOM FOR THE YEAR!   *NOTE:  If you do break it, something I've done once or twice--still plant your bulb, mine have always bloomed the following year.
4. Plant immediately in your prepared hole.  (Don't ever leave the lily bulb out for more than a day without replanting--If you can't do it immediately, put bulb in a plastic bag to keep it moist.  LILY BULBS DRY OUT QUICKLY!)  To plant, carefully place entire lily, with soil attached, in hole, then fill carefully, tamping with your hands to the same level as it was before.  You won't need to water it again for about a week, unless the soil is dry more than 2" down.
5. Congratulations, you did it!  Now you can watch your lily continue to grow, and then bloom in the summer!