My reaction when I saw the hole above😱😱!
In 2011, I made 2 raised beds for peonies 20 feet long by 5 feet wide. In 2014 I made a 50 foot long by 4 foot wide bed for more peonies. I can't remember how many bags of top soil and composted manure, soil conditioner, or the number of bales of pine straw that I used, but it was worth it.
The biggest hole was done by my DH, to accommodate my potted Itohs, and the holes were ~ 18 in deep and 18 in wide.
Because of our red clay, I tend to plant in the raised bed. This red clay when it's dry is like cement, and very difficult to dig into. We've had a lot of rain recently, and our weather is nice and cool, so getting the peonies planted will be much easier this fall.