Well, this was a fun article!

I would have to sadly admit, this has been my experience all too often. I get the bulbs because they are on sale, and I "know" I will get them planted at the right time ...ha ha ha.

I love how you scatter plant them. Great idea. Being lazy, I do that in a similar way, but I dig out an entire section to roughly 6 inches deep, scatter the bulbs, like you, then cover the large section with hen manure and soil, and finally, rabbit wire (squirrel deterrent.)

You are indeed fortunate to live in a climate where the soil is not frozen rock-hard at this time of the year.