I would say, "yes" to both counts. Lilies are really tough. I also have some lily bulbs planted in pots and they are sunk into the ground for the winter. I've done this with lots of perennials and it ususally works fine.

Laurie

Laurie, thank you, now another question. I pushed the weather a bit too long and sure enough it turned cold -10 and we have 6-8 inches of snow.
Hmmm, I just noticed temp in celcius and depth in standard, only in Canada eh.
Not only did I not get the bulbls moved I didn't get the new ones planted, should I dig through the frost and plant anyway?
If they are not planted they will go soggy or ???
There is a small chance the weather will warm up again for a few days but I see from your zone you know all about this
weather game we play.
Any thoughts?
PS one more thing we have in common I'm Laurie also.

"If they are not planted they will go soggy or ???"

Laurie, from my understanding, lily bulbs can't be stored over winter. They need to form roots to keep the bulb healthy. Yes, zone 3, I hear ya! We just got 3-4" of snow yesterday, and the highs for the rest of the week are supposed to be below freezing. I'm not sure if these are good conditions to plant lily bulbs out now. If you are expecting to get a warm spell for awhile, then maybe they'd be ok planted out. This really hasn't been a warm fall, has it?

How many bulbs do you have? Here's an idea that might work for you. It was told to me by a local nursery owner about forcing tulips, but the same theory can hold for lilies. He said for tulip bulbs, to plant them up in pots of soil and then put them in a cool place(10-15C) for a couple of weeks to let the roots develop. Then put them in a colder place(I use a spare fridge) for the duration of their dormant period. I would do this with the lilies, and just keep them in the fridge until early spring. I've had excellent results with keeping oriental lilies in the fridge like this over winter, as they're borderline hardy here. So if you only have a few bulbs and have a second fridge, or know someone who does, then this could be an option. If you have 50 bulbs, well, then, I'm outta ideas!LOL

Good Luck,
Laurie

Good info Laurie, thank you.

Would the same apply to Daffys and grape hyacinth? I have a few of those to plant also.

Laurie

I'd give the daffs and hyacinths the same treatment too, as it's too late to plant them outside now. You could bring them out a month before Easter and have a wonderful show!

You can plant your daffs and tulips etc. in a large pot and keep it in the garage. Each winter I plant some into a 20 inch pot and throw the occasional pile of snow onto it during the winter just to keep it moist. They provide a good show early in the spring, often when the others are barely starting to wake up.

As long as the garage is insulated that could work. But if it isn't, here in zone 3, when it gets to -40 in the garage, the bulbs don't seem to care much for freezing solid. ;^)