Grandma Has an Unusual Method to Plant Thousands of Flower Bulbs — and People Think It’s Genius

If you think doing a hundred mountain climbers a day is tough, head to the TikTok channel of Garden Granny (@gardengranny0). This 73-year-old granny probably exercises more body muscles than a gym-goer as she mounts and climbs the ladders on steep hillsides and stoops and squats, and kneels her body on expansive grassy stretches to plant flower bulbs. Having planted more than 20,000 flowers all by herself, the granny inspires people to come in contact with nature, one flower bulb at a time. But unlike most gardeners, she isn’t the one to toil her energies for days and days. 

In a March 2023 TikTok video, the granny demonstrated an unusual trick to accomplish a flower-planting task that would otherwise take forever to complete. Looks like this granny prefers smart work over hard work. “I love her garden,” TikTok user @Marta said in the video, which has been viewed more than 27 million times and liked by over 5 million people. Viewers are saying this “power drill gardening hack” is the easiest way to plant flower bulbs. The video shows the diligent granny in a grassy garden lawn, her legs kneeling on a green carpet, surrounded by an array of tools.

Here and there on the green garden lawn, dried golden leaves are scattered like pebbles on a shore. Beside the carpet, there’s a bowl filled with flower bulbs and a tray of gardening powder, most likely mulch. The granny seems to be holding a pointy drill-like device in her hands, which is attached to an electric wire. As the video opens, the granny appears to be digging the grass with the “10-inch-long, 1 1/2-inch-wide” power drill, penetrating its pointy pin inside, carving dotty holes. “She came up with this method of planting by herself,” her son says in the voiceover.

After puncturing a little patch of grass with the drill, the granny put down the device and slipped one flower bulb into each button-sized hole, thereby covering the holes with soil and mulch. The video then cuts in time to reveal the garden’s dramatic transformation in the future. The grassy bed, which was earlier peppered with nothing but dried leaves and circles of sunlight, now bubbled with a generous spray of purple-colored blossoms, which the son revealed were crocuses.

“She puts so much effort into caring for flowers and insects. Look how many crocuses she has planted,” he wrote in the video’s caption. He said almost 8,000 crocuses were blooming in their garden. In a comment, TikTok user @GK revealed that crocuses are regarded as highly valuable when grown in gardens. Their high-protein petals can awaken and attract bumblebees and other pollinators.

In another comment, @chrisellesue poetically added, “And these will multiply by themselves. The next year is gonna be a much bigger field. [Love] to your mom!” Referring to the hard-working granny, @midcoffingirl declared, “Definition of girl boss!” @studyhcouqj, a freelance designer, exclaimed, “She’s an actual genius. And the final result is stunning!” @itsmorning29 said their heart’s going to burst after seeing the flowers bursting from the grass.

You can follow Garden Granny (@gardengranny0) on TikTok for tips and tutorials on gardening.