Plant ginger lily rhizomes, or bulbs, in midspring for a warm start and growing season. Choose sites with full-to-filtered sun and quick year-round drainage. Plant full beds of ginger lilies for effect or use them as individual plants.
Amend the soil to a depth of 8 to 10 inches for good soil drainage. Turn garden loam, humus, organic compost or leaf mold into the tilled soil at a rate of 1 inch of amendment per 2 inches of depth. Ginger lilies need moist, loose and nutritious soil for growing, and generally don't do well in dry or poor foundations.
Plant ginger lily rhizomes under 3 to 4 inches of soil at every 8 to 24 inches in the bed, depending on ultimate cultivar size. Water each site until the soil is moist down to the rhizomes and spread 1 inch of organic mulch over the soil around the plantings. Mulch helps maintain soil moisture and warmth, and restricts weed growth.
Water the ginger lilies with 2 inches of water every week and maintain the mulch layer. Look for sprouting in 2 to 3 weeks.
Cut the flower stalks of the lilies after the flowers fade to encourage repeat blooming.