Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly 135
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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!
We wrapped up my youngest daughter’s last week of high school this week with graduation and senior prom.
It was a busy week off the blog prepping for Tori’s pre-prom party and graduation day.
The Canadian wildfires kicked up the smoke as her pre-prom party was beginning. The haze that started filling the air was unbelievable but we were still able to snap a few good pics before the air quality declined the next day.
She looked beautiful and had a great time with her boyfriend at prom. Here are a few pics I took of them before.
The day after prom was not good for my neck of the woods. The air quality was so bad you couldn’t be outside at all. And if you were? You needed to wear a mask because the air was so bad.
It look so ominous outside too because an orangey-yellow haze filled the atmosphere. It was strange!
I was a little concerned the smokey conditions would affect graduation because we were scheduled to be outdoors on the football field.
But luckily, it cleared out so we were able to celebrate with the kids outdoors.
Graduation Day was wonderful too, but bittersweet for me. We are so proud of her. And I’m thrilled that she’s moving on to college but sad to see that we are done with this chapter in our lives.
Let the empty-nesting phase really begin now.
Here are a few pics from graduation day.
To celebrate her last high school days, we spent the weekend in Vermont. We went hiking, boating, thrifting, and visited some of our favorite restaurants too.
In the gardens this week, I’m still planting perennials and flowering annuals. It’s been so fun filling in the gaps here and I am really enjoying the time spent in the beds this year.
The potager garden is filling in beautifully. I pinched back the dahlias and have been harvesting my cool-season veggies and herbs daily.
The sweet peas that I winter sowed are all doing really well. I’ve even gotten a few blooms! Every day, I go out and keep training them up the fence. They are starting to hold onto it on their own now.
I planted leftover seeds from last year and since I hadn’t had the most success with them in years past, I decided to use the leftovers this year and if they didn’t do well, I’d be done with them.
Well, looks like I’ll be ordering more sweet pea seeds next year because I think they are going to do amazing!
The sunflowers I started from seed a few weeks ago were mowed down before I had a chance to get them planted.
So I spent all day last Sunday sowing them all over again.
Let’s hope we get some this year!
The last lisianthus plant died out so I will not be growing those again. And you know what? I don’t feel bad about it either.
Some things are just meant to be!
What I’m Shopping For This Week
It was a busy week behind the scenes, but I bought a few items for my home and garden. I also shopped around for Chris for Father’s Day.
Here’s what I shopped for this week!
In the Garden
- I needed more plant support hoops. These work really well with those summer flowering annuals like zinnias, dahlias, larkspur, strawflowers, etc. So if you haven’t supported plants from your cut flower garden yet, do it before it’s too late!
- I also bought a few more of the half-moon supports because I use these throughout the season with different plants. Last year, my black-eyed susans flopped over the walkway, so these are perfect to help keep those blooms up.
- To prepare for issues in the summer garden, I picked up another bottle of insecticidal soap. I was running low and like to keep that on hand.
- I also needed to get more fertilizer for my roses and fertilizer for my vegetable and herb garden. It’s amazing how quickly that stuff goes with a larger garden.
Father’s Day Ideas
Since I’m shopping around for gifts for Chris, I wanted to mention these because we have both and they are great gift ideas.
- This shiatsu back massager is THE BEST. I bought it a few months ago for myself and let me tell you – it gives a good neck and shoulder massage. You can use it on other areas of your body too, it has heat, and the massage is deep.
- This massage gun. My daughters bought this one for Chris last year. He loves it and everyone uses it because it works so well!
I have no clue what I’m getting Chris yet…he loves golf but I think has everything he needs to play. Any ideas?
He could use an update to his golf attire, so I shopped for some clothes for him.
- He loves these golf shirts. They are moisture-wicking and perfect for summer both on the course and off.
- He’s also a huge fan of these hybrid shorts because you can wear them on the course, shopping around, and at the beach.
For Me
This site was having a great sale, so I bought some coverups and a new swimsuit for myself. Because I wear coverups almost all summer long at the pool and the lake, I needed to get a few.
- This coverup.
- This coverup.
- I love this burnout coverup. It’s perfect for those scorching hot days.
- I also love this one, but I didn’t get it. It’s perfect though for those cooler beach days.
- And I bought this one to go with my new swimsuit top and bottom.
What’s Happening at Bricks ‘n Blooms
It was a fun week on the blog!
We kicked off the week with some easy summer DIY projects that will spruce up your home and garden in a weekend.
Plus I shared the best flowering annuals for summer that will keep the color going in June, July, and August.
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.
- These 7 must-have country porch ideas.
- These beach cottage decorating ideas.
- I love these thrift store home decor ideas.
- This easy outdoor DIY side table.
- These tips for setting a red white and blue table.
- This outdoor living space home tour.
If you enjoy these posts, you can find past Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly posts here.
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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, potting soil, garden soil, compost, and perlite when planting. While I make my own compost, you can easily buy it ready-made for use.
- I have used this deer repellent with great success. But now, I’m all about this deer repellent that is systemic instead of topical. This means the plant takes it in as opposed to it just smelling bad.
- Hands down this is my favorite hand-weeding tool. You can use it to get underneath roots and loosen soil, and it cuts down on the weeding time because you work much faster.
- But I also love this long, stand-up weeding tool to really get around roses from afar.
- I use THIS ORGANIC FERTILIZER for roses because the blooms are more prolific and it’s organic.
- And I use this organic fertilizer for my vegetables and herbs in the potager garden.
- You’ll need a sharp set of pruners when working with plants and flowers. I buy a few so I can stash them around.
- I use these garden snips to deadhead and cut flowers from my gardens.
- Where pest and disease problems are concerned, if I need to, I generally use this insecticidal soap or neem oil to help control infestations depending on the issue. When using, only apply when pollinators are less active.
- 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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