I used an auger to plant bulbs several years ago and, after I realized the drill was reversible and I had it going the wrong direction it worked great! Now I just need a new drill!

I am getting an auger to help with the planting too. I didn't think I need it but at 200 bulbs, I am going to need all the help I can get. Hopefully, the auger will arrive by this weekend. I hope you new drill will work out for you, Ginny.

This is the one that I have, it's a lot more beaten up now, though! I've had it for around 5 years already and use it often, works great with a lightweight cordless drill. The shovel one looks like it'd be really good too. I just had one of those little plunger thingies before, only worked in the softest soil. Even in my good beds by fall bulb planting time the soil is pretty hard, hated the plunger thingie!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015Z3OZ2/

Thanks, Liz. Maybe I will get one for next year's daffodils.

The plunger one didn't work for me either!

I Just got an email that my order has shipped! I will post a pic of it. I hope it comes before the weekend so I can get it in the ground.

That's great, LG! I just checked when I saw your post, no notice for me yet but I'll bet it'll be in my email tomorrow. Last roots of the season, can't wait until blooms in the spring!

Liz, I've often neglected to divide big clumps of irises where I wanted to use some bulbs as companions. If you've got enough to sacrafice a few, you can remove a few rhizomes and plant the alliums right amongst them. I've also augered some holes throughout a clump of irises for alliums and they grew happily together.

Here is my root! I'm very pleased.

Just wondering how you are going to plant that LG. Are you going to bury it all in the soil like planting it sideway?

Karen, most of the time it comes to me as I am positioning it in the hole. I like that this one has a nice long root. There is a cluster of eyes at the end, and those will be right below the soil line. I like to put a little "volcano" of dirt over the top, which I hose away as the peony gets growing in the Spring. I find this gives the peony a little extra protection over our weird winters in middle TN. We can get very warm days followed by freezing temps.

I also like to have the roots pointing downward even when it is obvious that they were growing sideways from the crown. To me, they will get established more quickly, and be more protected from possible rot.

Neal, I do have more than enough irises in that bed to sacrifice some but I have several gardening friends who want some here locally, I'd feel too guilty to kill them! I think I'll put the alliums on the edge of one of the new peony beds and then move them next fall after I divide the iris patch. I'm not sure if I want to leave it with just white bearded iris and the red alliums or mix other colors in. I'll have to keep an eye out for a nice mix of color to try to copy.

LG, that got to you fast! I did get notification that mine shipped this morning, hoping it's in by Friday to plant on Sunday, only day in the extended forecast that's expected to get above the 40s.

Liz, did your order come?

No! I got a tracking number, it showed out to be delivered on Friday but I had no box or notice to pick up at the post office, nothing yesterday, either. I'll take the tracking number to work with me and call on it. We're supposed to have really bad weather tomorrow and Tuesday so I'm really disappointed that they didn't make it in. Got the Adelman's order planted, 3 of the Itohs were so big that I had to increase the size of the holes that I'd pre-dug, not easy already....Not looking forward to any more planting...

Oh no! I hope no one stole it! The news has been full of people stealing packages.

No, the tracking shows it's in Denver, probably won't get here until Tuesday or Wednesday. I moved the fill dirt into the garage and have covered the holes I dug with plastic, hopefully I'll be able to plant them next weekend. Frustrating but what can you do?

I am finally down to my last 4 peonies to plant. They are ones I bought at garden centers in pots. I expect to get them in the ground either this coming weekend or the next. The drought has been broken and the holes are easier to dig now, thankfully.

I always have garden chores throughout the winter. The storms this week blew the top out of a dead tree, so this morning I worked on cleaning that up before it started raining again.

Good luck with your package Liz. It is snowing here now and the ground is beginning to freeze as temperatures continue to drop.

Yep, got the package yesterday but won't be able to plant until Friday. We'll have below zero temps tonight and tomorrow night with snow between--don't think they're going in the ground this winter! I'll probably just put them in pots and leave them in the garage overwinter and plant them out in the spring. I did get all of the Adelman's order planted, the ground was a bit frozen then. Hopefully I got everything packed down well enough, guess I'll find out in 4-5 months....

The ground was less frozen that I'd expected! We had below zero temps Tuesday and Wednesday nights, didn't get to above 20 degrees either day but is back up to 48 today. Got those last 3 planted and mulched heavily, hoping they'll do okay as well as the Adelman's peonies planted last weekend!