Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly 126
Hi there!
I hope you had a great week and Happy Easter to those who celebrate!
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Random Things Happening Behind the Scenes at Bricks ‘n Blooms
What a week it was!
We finished the raised garden beds in the potager garden!
Chris and his friend Mark really hauled last weekend to finish building them. And they look amazing don’t they?
We filled 2/3 of the bed with compost and leaf mold that we had here and then topped off the beds with mushroom compost and raised garden bed soil.
I sowed some lettuce, arugula, onions, and scallion seeds in one of the beds. And I moved some onion bulbs to the ground to free up my raised garden bed space.
As much as I want these beds to be bountiful, I’m not sure I want them covered in onions. Plus, I’m not certain how the onions will look with my flowers, so I’m moving the bulbs to the ground to see how they do.
I also planted some herbs, celery, spinach, romaine, and rhubarb in the beds too.
Oh and I planted all 40 bare-root roses last weekend. They are going to be incredible. I cannot wait to see these bloom!
And finally, I am starting to wrap up the indoor seed starting this week. From zinnias to amaranth and strawflowers, my garden is going to packed with some beautiful blooms this year.
I’m so excited!
On another note, my daughter Shana flew home for the weekend so she could spend Easter with us. And speaking of which we are hosting about 25 people today!
We’ve got an Easter egg hunt ready to go and my kitchen is ready for some good home cooking! So I’m looking forward to a wonderful day with our family.
What I’m Shopping For This Week
As I’m starting to prepare beds and plant more, here’s what I shopped for this week. Oh, and I bought a few tops and accessories too for spring.
Wait until you see what I bought!
- With planting season underway, I am stocking up on my favorite garden soil.
- And I’m getting ready for container gardening season by stocking up on my favorite potting soil. Even if you have existing planters with soil in them, it’s really important to refresh the top 1/3-1/2 of that soil depending on what you are planting.
- I also grabbed another bag of my favorite slow-release fertilizer for annuals, houseplants and container gardens. It’s a good idea to stock up now so you are ready to feed your plants this spring!
- These rose garden gloves are must-haves if you are planting or pruning roses. They saved my arms and hands from painful thorns!
- My potatoes arrived for planting, and I realized I needed to order more grow bags for them. I decided not to take up my raised garden bed space with potatoes and opted for these grow bags instead.
- I ordered a few more of these faux white tulips last week too. They are THE BEST and look like the real deal. I put them out in spring but leave them out through summer too until I swap out my faux flowers for fall. If you get any, get a few bunches – it’s great to sprinkle them throughout your home.
- Since I love long cardigans, I wound up buying this one after several weeks of thinking about it. I had it in my cart for weeks because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to spend on it, but I love that color! If it arrives on time, I may wear it on Easter.
- And I bought this necklace too – I thought it would look so pretty with that cardigan and white tee underneath.
What’s Happening at Bricks ‘n Blooms
It was a fun week on the blog!
We kicked off the week chatting about ways to update a kitchen on a budget with cottagecore style.
Wait until you see how easy and cost-effective these ideas are to do!
As I’m shopping for plants and flowers for the beds and outdoor living spaces, I shared 7 small front porch ideas on a budget.
From thrifting furniture and decor to decorating and doing small projects yourself, this post is chock-full of ideas to give your porch a beautiful makeover this spring.
And finally, since I just planted over 40 bare-root roses, I shared a guide to caring for roses. Despite the myth, it is not hard to grow roses.
In fact, there are some easy-care ones you should try if you want to get your feet wet or haven’t had much success in the past. Learn more about roses care here.
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 Heidi from Eleanor Rose Home shared some beautiful open-shelf styling inspiration plus decorating ideas for the kitchen.
She can style a shelf like no other! I love all of her simple tips.
My good friend Kim from Shiplap and Shells shared some tips for knowing the best time to cut back spring blooming bulbs.
And you have to be patient with these!
Cutting them back too early will rob you of next year’s flowers.
And here is some more inspiration you’ve got to see!
These tips for decorating with antique furniture in a modern farmhouse.
These gorgeous spring porch decorating tips.
This adorable Easter bunny craft.
These Anthropologie DIY clay mushroom plant stakes.
If you enjoy these posts, you can find past Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly posts here.
And… If you’re catching up on blog posts you may have missed, be sure to sign-up to get my newest posts via email to stay up to date with everything that’s happening here on the blog and more.
Garden Supplies I Use
I’m often asked about the garden supplies and tools that I use most. From pruners to deer repellents, here are some of my favorites in no particular order.
- I like to use a good-quality garden soil and compost when planting.
- I have used this deer repellent with great success. But now, I’m all about this deer repellent that is systemic instead of topical only. This means the plant takes it in as opposed to it just smelling bad.
- Hands down I this favorite hand-weeding tool. You get underneath roots, loosen soil, and it cuts down on the weeding time because you work much faster.
- I also love this long, stand-up weeding tool to really get around roses from afar.
- And I like to use THIS ORGANIC FERTILIZER for roses because the blooms are more prolific and it’s organic.
- You need a sharp set of pruners when working with plants and flowers. I buy a few so I can stash them around.
- Where pest and disease problems are concerned, I generally use this insecticidal soap or neem oil to help control infestations depending on the issue.
- This is my favorite set-and-forget slow-release fertilizer for houseplants, annuals, and container gardens.
- Whenever I stake my peonies or other plants, I generally use these grow through garden supports because they work really well and keep the blooms upright.
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Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly 132
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