All the Dirt on Gardening

It is time to buy and plant lily bulbs. There are hundreds, if not thousands of lily bulbs to choose from and every year new hybrid colors and sizes are introduced.  Lilies love part shade so they are ideal for adding beauty along fences, around perennials, shrubs, etc. As cut flowers, their trumpet shaped blooms are hard to beat. One source for garden quality lilies is family-owned  Longfield Gardens , ( www.longfield-gardens.com , 855-534-2733 ).Their website has beautiful displays of the lilies they offer, garden advice, articles, videos, etc. Black Beauty is one we have grown in part-sun in our garden for many years. They are tough plants that return reliably and produce a huge abundance of flowers. The outside of the petal is raspberry and the center is apple green. Fragrant flowers in July. Purple Prince is a trumpet-flowered Oriental lily that grows 4 or 5 feet tall. The stems are sturdy so they are great to cut. The flowers are purple to dark pink. Fr...

Longfield Gardens Amaryllis Gift Box Forcing bulbs inside over the winter is part of a long-standing hobby that brings beauty into the house when we really need it! Spring is struggling to arrive but isn't here yet and we want to mess around with plants. A lovely gift box arrived this week from Longfield Gardens . In addition to the planter, soil, bulb and topper in the box, there was something I had never seen before - a warming blanket for the bulb to prevent it from freezing during transit. It's pre-heated by the shipper and discarded by the recipient. Planting instructions are included though I confess I read them after I planted my bulb. If you are interested in sending one of these, you have a choice of Amaryllis colors. Click on this link to see photos of them all. I'll post photos as it grows since watching the progress is half the thrill of planting one of these beauties. Here it is in full flower