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Trowel for planting bulbs: set the depth yourself

Updated: October 2026

A trowel for planting bulbs is what you reach for when a border, a pot, or a lawn needs holes and you are already on your knees. The listing may show a scale. The hole still comes from the bulb. The Royal Horticultural Society puts most border bulbs at two to three times their own height, nose up. A line on an amazon.co.uk page is only a claim, and one review in this set says the marks were missing. The garden rows are in the [trowel comparison](/hub/digging-tools/trowel). The Products Compared editorial team used those UK listings and the RHS pages, with no lab test, and updated this page on 16 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

A trowel for planting bulbs is what you reach for when a border, a pot, or a lawn needs holes and you are already on your knees. The listing may show a scale. The hole still comes from the bulb.

Our top picks

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson Elements 4058NB

Best overall

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson Elements 4058NB
8.3/10about £7.70
View offer
Showvigor Showvigor aluminium garden trowel

Alternative

Showvigor Showvigor aluminium garden trowel
6.5/10about £5.98
View offer
D.A.Y. Republic D.A.Y. Republic small garden trowel

Rank 3

D.A.Y. Republic D.A.Y. Republic small garden trowel
4.8/10about £4.35
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.How deep the hole should be
  2. 2.Borders and pots, or turf
  3. 3.Which listings claim a scale
  4. 4.What a short trowel still will not do

How deep the hole should be

Most bulbs in a border go in at two to three times their own height, nose up. That is the RHS planting rule this page follows. A bulb about 5 cm tall needs a hole about 10 to 15 cm deep, with at least twice the bulb's width before the next one. Firm the soil with your hand rather than treading it flat, or you can leave a pan of water over the crown. In a pot, these notes use three times the bulb's height. Autumn-planted bulbs in moist ground do not need extra water. If the soil is dry, or you are outside that window, water them and use rainwater where you can.

Borders and pots, or turf

In a border or a pot you are moving loose soil, so a scooped garden trowel can open the hole if you measure it. It will not cut a neat core. A narrower scoop is easier between existing plants, though width never sets the depth. The Showvigor wood bullet lists a blade about 8.5 cm across, and that page still does not prove an engraved scale. Grass has its own ceiling. The RHS says a lawn hole should be no deeper than three times the bulb's height. Lots of small bulbs mean lifting the turf with a spade, then laying it back. A hand trowel will not peel a rectangle of lawn.
Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson Elements 4058NB

Testsieger

Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson Elements 4058NB
8.3/10about £7.70
View offer

Which listings claim a scale

Only three garden listings here mention measuring. The other nine have no depth-mark field, including Elements at about £7.70 and Select at about £6.05. They can still dig a border hole if you measure with a ruler, a marked cane, or the bulb against the side of the hole. Showvigor wood (B0H4V35QSZ) claims engraved scales: a blade about 8.5 cm wide, about 28.5 × 10.5 × 3.7 cm overall, about 170 g, about £5.98, and 4.7 from 139 ratings. The page does not confirm the marks are accurate, and a review says the handle comes off. Check both before you trust the hole. D.A.Y. Republic (B0CYLY8F33) claims marks to 10 cm, at about 29 × 4 × 4 cm, about £4.35, and 4.2 from 230 ratings. The metal grade is not stated. One review says the marks were missing. Even if the lines are there, 10 cm is only the shallow end of a 10 to 15 cm hole for a 5 cm bulb. The unbranded listing (B0GZNLBXCT) puts Measure in the title and gives no scale specification. Its sizes conflict, about 28.5 × 8.5 cm against about 22.3 × 22 × 2.4 cm, at 3.9 from six ratings and about £4.99.

What a short trowel still will not do

An aluminium blade is a poor lever. Prising a hard hole by hanging on the handle bends the tool before the bulb is deep enough. Digging, planting, and drying the steel sit on the how to use a trowel page. A hand trowel does not cut a neat core. Stop where cables or pipes may lie, and leave a flat brick or plastering blade for the split on garden trowel or masonry trowel.

Common questions

How deep should I plant a bulb in a border?
The RHS planting page puts most border bulbs at two to three times their own height, nose up. A bulb about 5 cm tall needs a hole about 10 to 15 cm deep, spaced at least twice the bulb's width. Firm the soil by hand. A school sheet says generally 2.5 times, a separate line, so follow two to three times when those RHS pages differ.
Is the depth different in a lawn?
In grass, the RHS says the hole should be no deeper than three times the bulb's height. Scatter the bulbs for a drift, and use a sharp stick for a very small bulb. Lots of small bulbs mean lifting the turf with a spade. A hand trowel can open a few holes, but it will not peel that patch of lawn.
Can I trust an engraved scale if a reviewer says it was missing?
Nothing in this set proves the marks are accurate, so check the blade before you rely on it. The D.A.Y. Republic claim stops at 10 cm, while a 5 cm bulb still wants a border hole about 10 to 15 cm deep. A Showvigor review also says the handle comes off. Use a ruler until you have seen the marks yourself.
Do I need a bulb planter instead?
Use a scooped garden trowel from this set when you can measure a hole in a border or a pot. Choose a bulb planter when you want a neat core in turf. A Burgon & Ball hand planter, 6 cm core and marks to 4 inches at about £21.99, is not an ASIN here. Many small lawn bulbs need a spade that lifts the turf.
Will a 32 cm trowel let me plant without kneeling?
No. About 32 cm overall, the Elements and Select length, is a kneeling tool, not a stand-up spade. The Showvigor rubber listing gives about 17.8 cm as an item size against a 30.5 cm bullet, so confirm which figure you are holding. Neither length sets the planting depth.

Related pages

Best trowel

Trowel buying guide

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Garden trowel or brick trowel: which blade matches the job

How to use a trowel for planting and weeding in beds

Sources

Sources from the research digest. amazon.co.uk listings in this category were captured on 15 October 2026. We did not run a laboratory test.

  1. RHS, Planting bulbs (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. RHS, How to plant bulbs in grass (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. RHS, Cleaning garden tools (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. The English Garden, garden trowels (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. BBC Gardeners' World, hand trowels (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. BuildWiz, brick trowel (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods remedies (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  9. HSE, Manual handling (retrieved 15 October 2026)