RoseBlush1 said:
Actually, an hour is pretty good. I was told by an experienced rose grower that if my rose hole drained over night, the plant would be OK. She was right. Many of the rose holes I dug didn't drain over night, so I just deeper and bigger holes. When it did drain over night, I planted the rose. None of them have died.
I have no idea what "Davids Sooper Sekrit recipe" is ... 
She wrote,"gravel at the base of a planter under finer soil actually impedes drainage of the top layer. This is because water doesn't cross the interface between finer material overlaying coarse material until the upper layer is saturated. So it has the opposite effect of what one would intuitively think. Sooo, based on that, it would make the planting soil hold more water. This phenomenon is called a "perched water table".
I don't know if that applies to your bed.
Smiles,
Lyn
Well - I had a temporary (?) spell of insanity. Regarding THOSE holes, they 2 barely perked overnight - 1 still had standing water in one. But at least the water helped me to dig the holes with more ease. Soaking a planting area the day before is an old trick that can facilitate digging a planting hole. It will also contribute to the surrounding area being moist.
WRT lining bottoms of planting holes with rocks, I never ever do that for the indicated reasons. If I put in a drain pipe or tile, I fill those with gravel. I do sometimes line the bottoms of pots with broken pieces of clay pots to ensure the drainage hole (s) are covered.
I have a typical mix for in-ground soil mix:
1 part sphagnum peat moss
2 parts pine bark fines
2 parts composted cow manure
4 parts top soil - cheaper stuff - not Scotts at 7 - 9 $/bag
If I have or can get cheaply Cotton Burr and/or Mushroom compost, I will substitute that for 1 of the pine bark fines and/or manure.
If I am planting a prized and/or expensive tree or shrub, I sometimes intentionally buy the Cotton Burr and Mushroom composts. I do like them both, but they are quite expensive.
Bringing this back to my mistake Prickly Pear, I used:
1 part top soil
1 part peat moss
2 parts pea gravel
After planting, I covered the area with sand.
