It won't be long (I hope) before we'll be seeing the cheery flowers of crocus announcing that spring is on its way, but even on mild and sunny winter days I find it hard to ponder the coming gardening season.

However, gardening catalogs are nudging me to get started. That's why I want to talk about summer flowering bulbs.

Summer flowering bulbs don't get the same attention as spring flowering bulbs. I suppose it's because so many other plants are in flower at the same time that they don't seem so special. This lack of attention is a terrible oversight. Summer bulbs have much to offer.

One summer flowering bulb beginning to garner interest is the pineapple lily (eucomis). The eucomis plant has a base of broad strappy leaves. The flowers are produced atop 15-inch spires that rise above the leaves. The spires are made up of fragrant star-shaped greenish-white, burgundy, pink, purple or yellow flowers. Just above the flowers is a tuft of smaller green leaves, making the flower resemble a little pineapple. Later the flowers turn into attractive persistent seedheads.

The pineapple lily is from South Africa but can be grown in most areas of the U.S. and is reliably winter hardy in USDA Zones 7-10. It also can be grown in Zone 6, but it should have a heavy winter mulch. In colder areas, pineapple lilies should be grown in pots and stored over winter in a protected area.

Pineapple lilies prefer rich, well-drained soil and bright sun. However, in our hot summer climate they probably will benefit from being shaded from the afternoon sun.

Eucomis is a true bulb and can be planted 6 to 12 inches apart once the danger of heavy frost is past. (Plant one bulb per 6-inch pot.) They should be planted about 8 inches deep, so the top of the bulb is just below the surface of the soil. When planted in garden, they are best left in place for several years.

Another summer bulb (really a corm, not a true bulb) that seems to be increasingly popular is crocosmia (Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora), sometimes known as "coppertips" or "falling stars." In Britain it's known as montbretia. This hybrid is also native to South Africa. The 2- to 4- foot plants have a fountainlike shape with long (24-28 inches in length) narrow leaves that arch over.

The tubular flowers are produced along open wiry spikes and liked by hummingbirds. There are more than 400 named cultivars of crocosmia, mostly in orange, red or yellow. Bloom occurs from mid- to late summer. The flowers are great long-lasting cut flowers.

Crocosmia are easy to grow, if you attend to their needs: full sun and a well-drained, moist soil. In fact, they can be invasive if you give them the chance. Plant the corms 2 to 3 inches deep and 8 to 10 inches apart. Keep the soil moist until new growth begins.

The plants are hardy from USDA Zones 5 to 9, so there is no need to lift them in the fall. However, they will probably need to be divided every few years when they become crowded and flower production diminishes. They also can be grown in pots.

You should consider planting eucomis and crocosmia along with canna and calla lilies to transform your garden into an exotic paradise -- one of newest the trends in home gardening.

* Marianne C. Ophardt is a horticulturist for the Washington State University Extension Office in Benton County.