Planting bulbs can be tedious work.

After an hour or so, my knees are locked up from kneeling. My back aches from stretching into a bed or border and the trowel feels permanently attached to my hand.

Admittedly, I'm an all-or-nothing gardener. If I have bulbs to plant, I'll do it all in one work session - without any breaks. It's no problem with a dozen or so bulbs, but mass-planting 50, 100 or 200 bulbs can be brutal.

Over the years, I've tried numerous tools to remove the strain. What works best for one gardener may leave another gardener frustrated.

Kneeling cushions, pads or stools can cushion the knees and wear garden gloves to protect your hands.

Trowels are among the best hand tools, particularly in established beds. A sharp transplanter, which looks like a narrow-bladed trowel, is also an effective tool. I prefer using a small hand-held fork with broad tines (not a cultivator) because it's fast for digging and lifting soil. With any of these tools, care should be taken to avoid ruining existing plantings by stabbing or slicing into tulip, daffodil, lily or other bulbs already planted in the ground.

Ergonomic handles and extendable handles add comfort.

A dibber is perfect for planting muscari, crocus and other minor or small bulbs. It pokes small holes for popping in the bulbs.

Hand-held bulb planters - funny-looking tubes with handles - are designed to remove a plug of soil to the exact depth for planting. Insert the planter with a twist and lift. The soil should come out of the hole inside the tube. Plop the bulb into the hole and back-fill with removed soil.

Foot-powered bulb planters work in much the same way, and the heavier and more durable the model, the better.

The problem is, if the soil isn't loosened, these planters can be a pain. Hand-held ones cause blisters. If soil is damp or heavy, it gets packed into tube and is hard to remove. These are best for beds and borders, not perennializing or naturalizing bulbs in lawns or mass plantings.

My hands-down favorite is the auger that attaches to my power drill. It has a heavy-duty steel blade that drills into the soil while I'm standing over it. A small whip moves the soil aside and keeps it from falling back into the hole. After all the holes are filled with bulbs, I use a metal rake to replace the soil and then tamp it down.

For the most part, it makes quick work of bulb planting, but there are caveats. First, I tried the auger with my battery-powered drill and it just didn't have enough power to cut through the compacted soil in my lawn for planting daffodil bulbs. I ended up purchasing a more powerful electric drill and using a heavy-duty extension cord.

Secondly, the blade can get stuck in heavy soil, and sometimes grass gets wound around it. It takes a firm hand on the drill to drive the auger and precautions should be taken - safety glasses, long pants and closed-toed shoes. Finally, the drill can also overheat with continuous use and if you have rocky soil, forget it.