Hi Karen
You can prepare a seed bed for them and plant them outside. They need the cold weather to vernalize otherwise they won't leaf out in the spring. You mostly just need to keep them from being overgrown, munched, or stepped on. If the soil is good they don't need to be fed. I put my bulblets in potting soil in peat pots that I plant in their own section of the garden, (with a garden stake/tag in each pot) so I can find them in the spring. That way I can pull the weeds away from them without pulling them up by accident. A spot with more sun will be better for them. They won't grow very quickly in dappled shade. As long as the garden is well draining, winter rain and snow won't hurt them. Just don't plant them in a soggy part of your garden.

-Helen

Thanks Helen, that's a great idea, the peat pots. I have not committed a garden spot or bed for them and I want to keep track of them for now. I will move them into sun. Karen

Karen,
You are going to want to get them into the ground so they don't freeze too fast. But, you don't have to commit to a permanent spot. Being small, they'll be easy to move next spring or even a year or two later. They can also be planted relatively close together for now to save garden space. Keep in mind also that it will take a couple or a few years (depending on variety) for them to reach blooming size. If you don't want to put them in the ground over the winter, store them in a cool (below 40 degrees F) sheltered spot (like a garage). They should be going dormant soon and then won't need sun until spring. Though, you need to be sure they stay a LITTLE moist.

Of course I haven't followed my own advice! I have a bunch of pots with small bulbs that grew from stem bulblets or scaling this past spring (Regale, Triumphator, and Elegant Lady) and Pumilum (that I potted up because they were doing very poorly in the garden). I'll have to put them in my back porch tonight, since its supposed to get pretty chilly here (in the 20's). The problem is that I've run out of space for them and have to dig up a new garden before I can get them in the ground. I think I'm also in denial about winter coming. I'm just not ready for the cold weather yet!

-Helen

Do the styrofoam cups have a drainage hole in the bottom? If they don't, the seedlings will drown. This holds true for any container you use, except peat pots.

As soon as you plant the seedlings in the open ground, you will be at war with Mother Nature. Sun, rain, weeds, bugs, microbes, birds, rodents, pets, children...all good in moderation, but needing control. Lilies are not easy to grow from seed, especially in the open ground.

I don't know where you live, or what the climate is, but this might work for you: plant them in a small area, maybe a couple of square feet, mulch them with 1 inch of bark mulch if you can get it, and then cover the planting area with plastic milk crates, the ones that have a lot of holes in them. Put a rock or concrete block on top of each milk crate, to keep it in place. The mulch will moderate soil temperatures, and the milk crates will provide shelter from birds, squirrels, pets and kids. In the Spring and Summer, the crates will provide partial shade, which lilies like. If you have a rodent problem, throw some bird netting over the crates, and secure it at soil level with soil or gravel. The crates are sort of like a cloche. If you have burrowing rodents, they will probably not notice the tiny bulbs, but bigger bulbs will need protection.