Lilies: Interesting article on B&D site about extinct trumpets, 1 by DonnaMack

DonnaMack wrote:
Well, it depends. on the lily.

I have put Longiflorum/formosanum seeds on seed starting mix in January and had blooms in September of the same year (the lily below).

Lilium candidum, following the same processes as above, takes a good three years to flower, but it's a tricky one.

On average, I would say that they take two years to flower. The species tend to take far longer. If you buy the bulbs they often don't bloom for 3-4 years.

So when I am picking seeds to grow, I usually choose those with immediate epigeal germination (they germinate in a few days by sprouting tiny leaves above ground - immediate gratification.)