5 Bulb Planting Tools That Make Gardening So Much More Convenient

Tulips to daffodils, snowdrops to fritillaria, spring-flowering bulbs are undeniably pretty additions to any home garden. Plus, you usually only need to plant them once for a years-long show. However, planting bulbs can be a painful process — often literally for gardeners with bad backs or weak knees. You can't just sprinkle seeds about while standing; you must bury bulbs in a hole in the soil that's four to six inches deep, on average. Sure, a standard hand trowel is easily the most versatile garden tool to tackle many tasks. Gosh, even a kitchen spoon added to your gardening toolkit could dig holes for small bulbs. But these tools are unlikely to give you the best bulb planting results for the least effort. On the other gardener's glove, specialized tools like short- and long-handled bulb planters, dibbers, bulb trowels, soil knives, and electric drill augers, will.

There's something to be said for a purpose-built garden tool, particularly if you're planning something extensive, like a bulb lawn, or underplanting a tree with spring bulbs. When purchasing said tools, spend some time considering your needs. For example, are the bulbs you're planting small or large? Their size will determine how deep of a hole you need to dig. Do you have fine, loose soil or compacted dirt in the garden beds? The latter will require a sturdier tool than the former. Since you only use your bulb tools at certain times of the year, namely for a limited time in the spring and fall, you'll need to keep them dry and clean the rest of the year. So, make sure the tools you plan to buy will fit in your storage location. 

The first tool you'll likely come across in your mission for bulb planting efficiency is the appropriately named bulb planter, consisting of a tapered metal tube with a handle. They come in two versions: handheld and long handled. The former requires you to kneel during use. Be sure to don some garden knee pads or use a garden mat to protect your knees. The latter is operated while standing, making it great for gardeners with mobility issues or those who fatigue easily. Sturdy shoes are a good safety measure with this tool.

You can easily plant a field of tulips with this $5 handy gadget — that is, Lowe's bulb planter with 3-inch aluminum head and a sturdy wooden handle. If you struggle with estimating your planting depth, this $19 Dewayna Stainless Steel Bulb Planter features depth markers to 6 inches and has a serrated edge. Expect long-handled bulb planters to cost a little more. The highly rated Garden Weasel Bulb Planter goes for a little under $40, as does the multi-use ProPlugger 5-in-1 Lawn and Garden Tool, which boasts comfortable foot rests and a handle.

Despite the different handle lengths, both types of tools work in essentially the same way. Press the metal tube into the soil to the depth you need, then pull it out again to remove a plug of soil and create a hole. Pop a bulb into said hole and redeposit the plug of soil to cover it again. Some tools even feature a built-in dirt-release lever. Repeat the process until all your bulbs are planted.

Dibbers, also sometimes called dibbles or dibblers, are more popular in Europe (especially the U.K.) than the U.S., though their popularity here is growing. Evidence for the tool's use dates back to at least the 1600s in England. In the present day, American bulb growers in the know are seeking out these simple yet nifty bulb-planting contraptions. In simplest terms, a dibber is simply a short plastic, wood, or metal stake topped with a t-shaped handle. They're sometimes etched with depth markers, so you know how far you're plunging one into the soil. Green-thumbed homeowners who think twice before tilling their garden love dibbers because they slide easily into the soil; there's less chance of damaging plant roots, disrupting soil structure, or injuring beneficial critters.

If you want to build on the efforts of dibber users of yore, Harvesting History sells a period-authentic Burgon & Ball Dibber (which is endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society) for $50. On the other end of the affordability spectrum, you can pay well under $10 for a four-piece Milifox Garden Dibber set replete with depth markers. An all-wood garden dibber by Muldale, also with measurements, costs about $20, while this Esschert Copper-Plated Dibber sells for $16. Once you have your dibber, all you need to do to use it is stick it into the ground, wiggle it around in a circular motion to create a hole, and drop a bulb in. Push the displaced soil back into the hole, covering the bulb, and you're done! Dibbers are best used for planting small bulbs over, say, onions or amaryllis.

There's nothing wrong with using a trowel to plant bulbs, but your efforts will be better rewarded if you use a purpose-made version. Like a regular garden trowel, a bulb trowel usually comes with a scoop made from a durable metal like stainless steel and has an ergonomic wooden or plastic handle. Unlike regular garden trowels, bulb trowels typically feature depth marks, so you know exactly how deep of hole you're digging each time you plunge the blade into the soil. After all, most bulbs need to be planted about three times deeper than their width. Many also have one or two serrated edges that help you quickly part the dirt to create the perfect bulb-planting hollow.

The Kemaier Heavy Duty Trowel costs a bit over $15 and does double duty for that price with both a serrated edge and depth measurements. If you're working with hard-to-reach spots in the garden, the long-handled Van Zyverden flower bulb trowel in green, for just over $26 at Walmart, offers greater maneuverability. Garden Guru Lawn & Garden Tools Planting Shovel Trowel is a super-thin bladed option, good for small bulbs, that costs under $12. Use these tools similarly to the dibber — rock the blade side to side to loosen soil before lifting it out to create your hole — and on challenging sites like slopes and rockeries. There's also a trowel that purportedly hails from the homeland of flowering bulbs, the Netherlands. The Sneeboer Dutch-Style Trowel from White Flower Farm doesn't come cheap at $79, but its wide, flat, axe-like blade helps you break up soil for a deeper, wider hole.

Soil knives and hori-hori knives, a traditional Japanese gardening tool, are as ideally suited to bulb planting as they are to other backyard tasks, like weeding and cutting open bags of potting soil or fertilizer. Proponents say the thin, tapered metal blade allows you to plant bulbs far more efficiently than any other tools on the market. These are sharp knives and often come with a sheath for safety. If your knife doesn't have one, consider getting one made before you start using it. As mentioned, garden knives are typically multi-purpose tools. To prevent cross contamination and keep your bulbs healthy, mark the handles of your bulb-specific knife with brightly colored paint to keep it distinct from your everyday gardening tools.

There are several hori-hori variants on the market. For example, the A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife is serrated and comes with etched inch markers, a plastic handle, and a six-inch stainless steel blade; it costs about $33. If you're a dedicated bulb flower grower and looking for a lifetime product, $60 will get you a hand-forged, ash-handled DeWit hori-hori knife from Gardener's Supply. These knives are arguably some of the easiest bulb-planting tools to use in loose, crumbly soil. Drive the knife into the soil, checking the markers on the blade (or using a ruler where there are none) to determine the depth. While the knife is embedded in the dirt, pull it toward you, creating a V-shaped hole. Place a bulb (small is best) into the depression, then remove the blade, pushing the soil back over the bulb as you do so. Experts have dubbed this technique "stab, wiggle, and drop."

Most bulb planting tools don't work well in a heavy clay soil, rocky landscapes, or compacted dirt. You'll need to amend the soil with compost and sand or grit to improve the structure and drainage enough for successful bulb planting. Not so with a powered auger — a long, spiral metal attachment that clips onto your power drill just as a drill bit would. Instead of manually pushing a tool into the soil to create a hole, let the power tool do all the work. You may still need to add soil amendments for bulb-growing success, but the auger helps break up soil. Two jobs in one, done! Plus, this technique works even faster in soft, loamy garden beds.

Whatever auger you buy must be three times longer than your bulbs, and a little wider in diameter. The 3 by 7-inch Power Planter bulb planting auger and bedding plant tool comes highly recommended at a bit under $30. Need something cheaper? The 2 by 14-inch TCBWFY Rapid Bulb and Bedding Auger drill bit costs about $10. When using a drill with an auger attachment, don a pair of sturdy work boots and safety glasses and set the torque setting to drill with the lowest possible speed. Press the auger into the soil in an up and down motion — when you see a pile of soil form to one side of the hole, you know you're done. Use that to cover the planted bulb. It's best to use augers in new beds only; the enthusiastic drilling motion can wreak havoc on established plantings.