Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly 119

Hi there!

I hope you had a great week!

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Random Things Happening Behind the Scenes at Bricks ‘n Blooms

What a week it was!

I know it’s mid-February but it felt like spring here all week long in New Jersey. So I took advantage of the weather and cut back some perennials to clean up the beds.

My daffodils are about halfway out of the ground and even the tulips have broken ground. Let’s hope a nasty winter freeze doesn’t return to zap it all. So… fingers crossed.

Since we are on the subject of gardening, my lisianthus seeds have not sprouted yet. I read they can take almost 2 weeks to germinate so heading into week 2 now and I really hope they sprout!

A few of you mentioned buying them from the nursery, but I’ve not seen them sold at nurseries near me in the past. So I decided to start them from seed so I can grow them.

And since we are experiencing spring-like weather, the daffodils and tulips broke ground already. They are growing pretty quickly too.

Since my tulips are up, it’s time to start spraying them with deer repellent. We get herds of deer through here, so I start spraying them with repellent as soon as they break ground and then again after every few inches of growth until they bloom.

Last College Tour and a Weekend Away

Tori and I went on our last college tour this week. She decided she wants to stay in New Jersey for school so we’ve been looking at local schools here. And she’s made her decision!

She will be attending Ramapo College in the fall and we couldn’t be more excited for her. She’ll be close by and the school is a great fit for her.

When my older two visited schools, they both looked out of state so I hadn’t really toured campuses here in New Jersey. But let me tell you…there are some pretty amazing ones right here. And I’m glad she’ll be close to home.

In addition to wrapping up the college visits, we are in Vermont for the weekend to get some skiing, thrifting, and downtime in front of a fire together. Tori brought some friends up and we had a great time!

What I’m Shopping For This Week

The first bouquet of my flower subscription arrived this week and it could not be prettier! The flowers were all in great shape, they arrived safely, and I’m happy with the arrangement of flowers.

On another note, I started stocking up on spring garden supplies and some other stuff this week! With the spring-like temps, I’m noticing I’m a little low on some supplies that I need to use like now.

Here’s what I’m shopping for this week.

• This deer repellent. If you get deer as I do, I strongly suggest stocking up now. It’s important to train them early on in the season if they don’t like what’s in your garden.
• This granular deer repellent. I use this granular repellent in conjunction with the spray repellent and found it to be very effective.
• These grow through hoops. I use these for my peonies, snapdragons, larkspur, and dahlias. They work really well and I buy a few more every year because it always seems like I don’t have enough! LOL
• If you’ve ever had poison ivy before, you know how bad it can be. I had it really really REALLY bad one year and this was the only product that would clear it up! Ever since I keep a few bottles on hand.
• I love this hand-weeding tool so much that I decided to get a second one for the Vermont cabin so I can stop bringing one back and forth.
• And I also decided to get another one of these pop-up gardening bins. It’s durable, folds flat, and makes it much easier to collect and haul debris out of the gardens. I have one already but really need a second one. I‘ve got a lot of gardens here and they fill up fast!
• Completely unrelated to gardening, but this is my favorite mix for vanilla chai. Have you had it before? YUMMO! We are running out so I needed to order more.

What’s Happening at Bricks ‘n Blooms

It was a fun but light week on the blog!

I’ve been busy behind the scenes wrapping up a major project that I haven’t shared here yet, but an announcement will be coming soon.

This week, I shared my #1 easy-care houseplant to grow. If you are just starting out, think you kill plants, or don’t have the time to spend coddling a plant, the snake plant is one to grow.

Since it was so warm this week, we started thinking about our outdoor living spaces and how we want to enjoy them. Here’s what NOT to do when designing a backyard living space.

As we head into the gardening season, we chatted about the common mistakes gardeners make so we get into the right mindset early on to have a successful growing season.

I also shared some great tips for keeping your Valentine’s day flowers fresher for longer.

And because hydrangeas are the number one plant that you guys want to know about, I shared several posts about their care and how to enjoy the flowers.

Amazing Inspiration from Around the Web

I love finding cool inspiration from around the web and wanted to share some of what I’m loving right now.

My good friend Kim from Shiplap and Shells has been getting ready for spring and decorated her cottage-style home with some pretty spring vignettes.

I love to see how Kim blends her garden style with her home located on the Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest.

My good friend Rachel from the Ponds Farmhouse completely transformed her closet this week on a budget.

And it looks amazing!!!

I love all her tips and tricks to putting all the things away in an organized way. This is what it looked like before. But wait until you see what it looks like now!

My good friend Jennifer from Cottage on Bunker Hill shared 30 DIY wreath ideas that look beautiful and easy to make.

One of my favorites she’s made in the past is this pretty heart wreath. It’s perfect for Valentine’s Day but looks equally amazing with spring decor.

Isn’t it precious?

And here is some more inspiration you’ve got to see!

Love these budget friendly flower garden tips!

These easy ways to make a spare bedroom more functional.

This cozy little coastal refresh for February.

These vintage finds.

These bathroom cabinet organization ideas.

And how pretty are these 5 creative spring mantel ideas?

If you enjoy these posts, you can find past Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly posts here.

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About Me

Want to learn more about me?

I’m a master gardener who’s been gardening and growing things for over 25 years. With a deep passion for gardening, I enjoy helping others find their inner green thumb with all things plants and flowers, as well as find ways to bring the outdoors inside their homes too.

Get the inside scoop about my background as a master gardener, education, and experience, as well as why I started blogging.

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Enjoy a beautiful day! xo

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