Longfield Gardens Blog

If I were hiring a garden designer to plant the containers around my front door, I’d expect to get something pretty special.  Big, dramatic plants in unique and surprising combinations. Container gardens that get talked about and that look fabulous every single day from summer through fall.

Boost your garden’s beauty and reduce on-going maintenance with a bit of early season care. This spring garden checklist will help you focus on what matters most. Recently I met a horticulturist who practices “cocktail gardening.” She learned the technique from her professor in college.  He recommended investing time at the beginning of the garden

The first time I grew eucomis was three years ago. I had never seen seen the plant or the flowers, so I didn’t know what to expect. Plus, not all tropical plants grow well here in zone 4. But there was no need for worry. This exotic-looking South African bulb was a big success and it’s now one of my favorite summer

Want to add add some excitement and personality to your garden this summer? Plant elephant ears! These tropical plants can grow up to 6 feet tall, with leaves as long as your arm. Elephant ears have always been popular in Florida and other parts of the deep south, but these days they’re being grown nearly everywhere in the

For bold color in shady gardens, it’s hard to beat tuberous begonias. These lush, heat-loving plants have attractive foliage and big, rose-like flowers that bloom continuously from midsummer to frost. Planted in window boxes, hanging baskets, decorative urns or garden beds, tuberous begonias make it easy to dress up any outdoor living space. Imagine how great they’d look at

Muscari are one of my favorite spring flowers. They aren’t as big and showy as tulips or daffodils, but they do: have heavenly blue flowers make ideal companions for every other type of bulb are reliably perennial smell good — like grape juice fade away quickly after they bloom are rarely bothered by deer or rodents

WHAT ARE ELEPHANT EARS? The plants we know as elephant ears come from two tropical plant species: Alocasia and Colocasia.  Both are heat-loving foliage plants that grow from fist-sized tubers. In home gardens, elephant ear tubers are planted in the spring after the soil is warm and there’s no danger of frost. The tubers can be slow to get started, but once the soil