Taking over the family business is usually the
result of years of planning and preparation. One generation serves an
apprenticeship to the one that came before it, with the tacit understanding
that the years of training and service will culminate in a passing of the
torch. The fact that the son will follow the father is never called into
question.

And then there’s Scott Longfellow.

Longfellow was unrestricted by any such expectations.
He pursued his interests, conducted years of study and followed his passion to
work in a field that he found rewarding. By a happy chance, it just happened to
be in the field in which his father owned a successful business.

Longfellow is a native of Manchester, Maine. His
father Lawrence first opened Longfellow’s Greenhouses in 1977. Located in
Manchester, the business has thrived and expanded through the years as it
passed from one generation to the next.

“It was never expected that I had to take over the
family business,” Longfellow explained. “I was just drawn to what interested
me. I went to the University of Maine in Orono, and I graduated with a degree
in plant sciences.” Longfellow took over the family business in 1987 and
currently oversees its operations with his wife Sandra, also born and bred in
the Pine Tree State.

Longfellow’s Greenhouses has grown by leaps and
bounds since its founding. Originally situated on two acres, the business has
expanded, and continues to expand, in both size and what it offers to its
customers. From the 12 original greenhouses, Longfellow’s has grown to a much
larger, state-of-the-art facility featuring 21 greenhouses. “We produce 40,000
geraniums, 22,000 fall mums, 15,000 flowering hanging baskets, 75,000 perennials
and 25,000 poinsettias annually. We also stock over 800 varieties of
perennials, most grown right in our own greenhouses; 200 varieties of herbs and
scented geraniums, over half of which are grown on site; more than 500
varieties of trees, shrubs and vines; and an excellent selection of water
garden plants. We also carry over 100 varieties of roses, many of which are
especially suited to our northern climate.” He added his retail shop is filled
with everything one might need to help with successful gardening, including a
large selection of flowering bulbs, seeds, plant containers, baskets, tools,
fountains, statuary and gifts inspired by the garden. They carry a large
selection of seasonal flowering plants and foliage plants to fit any light
requirements.

“Nowadays, our sales are about three-quarters retail
and one-quarter wholesale,” said Longfellow. “Almost all of our products are
grown on site.”

Longfellow discussed the seasonal nature of the
business: “We’re busiest around the May – June time of year. We’ll start the
year with 28 or so employees in January, the slow time of the year. By the busy
season, we have around 90 employees.”

On site, Longfellow’s offers an ever-growing number
of courses for its customers. “Our weekend courses consist of lectures,
demonstrations and how-tos. They are usually themed to coincide with what’s
going on during a specific time of year. To date, we’ve had courses covering
succulent gardens, seed starting, terrariums, fairy gardens, Thanksgiving table
arrangements, balsam wreaths and kissing balls. We actually have a lecture
entirely dedicated to growing tomatoes – very popular.” If a customer is unable
to attend a particular lecture, Longfellow said anyone visiting their location
can always get help with whatever plant-based project they might be working on.

Longfellow’s has gone to great lengths to serve its
customers electronically as well. They’ve worked with a marketing firm to build
a website their customers appreciate. Featured on its website is “Tips &
Topics,” offering visitors a chance to read up on the most frequently asked
questions of the month as well as an online resource center, which has compiled
useful information for professional and recreational grower alike from the
University of Maine, the University of New Hampshire, the University of Vermont
and the University of Ohio. “Our resource center contains many answers to the
most commonly asked questions – information ranging from plant and flower care,
soil information, pests, hardiness zones to monthly advice and seasonal
information to name just a few topics,” Longfellow said.

On the website’s “Soil Calculator,” a customer can
enter the size, depth and plants for a planned project and the tool lets the
customer know exactly how much soil is needed. “It takes a lot of the guesswork
out of the equation,” Longfellow said. Finally, an interactive Plant Guide
allows users to enter the height, color and foliage type to learn just what
plant, tree or shrub they are looking for.

Three years ago, Longfellow’s Greenhouses introduced
an app for its customers and it has met with a great deal of success. “With our
app, customers are eligible for special prices on select products,” Longfellow
detailed. “They also have the option of scanning barcodes next to our product
displays which will connect them to more in depth information about the product
and its uses than we could physically display in the store.” To date, hundreds
of customers have made use of the app. Longfellow hopes to expand the app’s
offerings in the future. “We’re looking into using the smartphones’ GPS data to
help customers locate the exact location on our property of whatever it is they
might be looking for.”

An active community member, Longfellow’s Greenhouses
has made itself a partner in numerous local fundraising efforts. The
beneficiaries of these partnerships are most often local schools, libraries and
civic organizations. “It kind of works the way that the Girl Scouts sell their
cookies,” Longfellow said. “The fundraisers sell the poinsettias, geraniums or
garden mums, depending on the time of year, then we fill that order, providing
it to the fundraisers at cost, and they keep the profits for their causes.” In
the 10 years since they’ve started these drives, both the non-profit organizations
and Longfellow’s have reaped the benefits. “We now sell about half of all our
poinsettias through our fundraising partnerships alone,” he boasted.

Longfellow is sanguine when he talks about the
business his father started years ago. “We’ve come a long way,” Longfellow
concluded, “and we’re always looking to do more.”

For more information on Longfellow’s Greenhouses, visit www.longfellowsgreenhouses.com .