Jackie French: Now is the time to plant bulbs

''Time'' is the best investment of all when it come to bulbs. They double or even quadruple every year. Your maths is undoubtedly better than mine, but when you work out what 10 of six varieties of bulbs will give you in a decade, it is a very nice round figure. Not an accurate figure – some years will see greater multiplication than others. But still a wonderful investment in future flowers and beauty.

Crocus

If you plant the right varieties, you can have crocus blooming from autumn right through winter. The flowers peep up before the leaves appear. Plant lots about 15 cm deep – one, two or even six can get lost. They are best planted in a sheltered spot away from harsh winds, or under deciduous or lightly foliaged trees where the delicate petals won't be damaged by rain. They need excellent drainage, and little or no watering in February-March.

You'll find innumerable crocus species and varieties, some big-flowered hybrids, other wild ones with glorious variations. It is very, very easy to get hooked on crocus.

Saffron Crocus

These give the long red stamens that are the expensive cooking spice. I grow them for their giant autumn flowers, as our valley is too shady for them to give a good crop of stamens, plus I overcrowd them, thus giving them even more shade. Do not crowd your saffron crocus.

Colchicum

These are often mistakenly known as crocus but have several flowers from each stem rather than a single flower per stalk. They, too, are stunning planted in big drifts under deciduous trees – they tolerate full sun or dappled shade. Avoid planting them in humid areas.

Daffs and Jonquils

Choose early varieties of daffodils and jonquils and they'll bloom from mid-winter onwards. Winter-blooming varieties also seem more heat tolerant, though they are still for cold, cool and temperate areas only. Plant under deciduous trees or in full sun, don't mow till the leaves die down and avoid planting near hot cement or stone walls, or even Colorbond fences. Even if your winters are freezing, hot summers can encourage daff and jonquil bulbs to rot.

It's worth hunting out specialist bulb suppliers to get gems like Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation', one of the earliest of the typical trumpet daffodils to flower from mid-June to most of July, with classic daffodil-yellow flowers.

Narcissus panizzianus is a gorgeous, paper-white daffodil with a spicy fragrance and a dozen or more pure white flowers on a 35cm tall stem. I find that the plain yellow daffs and the paperwhite jonquils do best for us, even though I love the many coloured ones and the heavy double daffs of several varieties. The others bloom for one or two years, then vanish.

Nerines

These are autumn, winter or spring stunners, depending on variety, and offer big blooms on strong stems. Every winter I wish I had planted at least 10 times as many, as they multiply slowly. Choose autumn blooming as well as winter flowering ones like Winter Cheer, for a continuous and gaudy display of pinks, scarlet, red and white. They need full hot sun in summer – not hard to find in Australia.

Snowflakes (Leucojum spp)

Snowflakes are a sturdier plant than the more famous snowdrops but what they lack in refinement and delicacy they more than make up in vigour and an ability to tolerate hotter and drier conditions. Their six white petals are evenly sized and spaced with a single green spot at the end of each petal. As with every bulb, the best advice is ''choose the spot wisely'' and also ''plant lots''.

This week

It's peak tomato season – one bowl of tomatoes, a dribble of olive oil, a few drops of balsamic vingar, torn basil leaves, black pepper and then excellent bread to sop up all the juices, with my fingers if no one is looking.
Belladonna lilies are popping up all over the place – they multiply so well that I keep moving them every few years, then forget where I have planted them and, as they can sulk for a year or two after transplanting, each year there are flesh-pink surprises blooming overnight all round the garden.
The start of cooking peach season – firm-fleshed fruit that becomes more fragrant with gentle stewing and freezes beautifully for mid-winter pies and crumbles.
One more week to Jonathon apple picking time …
Crab apple colour time: we have about a dozen different crabs, stunning blossom in spring, beautiful autumn foliage, drab looking fruit till the first cool nights of late summer so the crabs are now turning red, orange and deep yellow – gorgeous.
The start of ginger lily month! Or even two months, if the weather is kind to us (it has been so far this year). The whole bank is covered in them these days, since I planted the first few about 25 years ago. Great yellow spurs and the most stunning scent that rises up to the house on hot days and lingers in odd corners all night. The white ones begin to bloom just as the yellows are fading.