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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!

I’m heading out to Michigan today to visit Proven Winners and Walters Gardens. Since I’ve never been to Michigan before, I’m pretty excited about this trip.

We are going to do some garden tours and I can’t wait to meet some of my favorite gardening friends over the next few days.

Make sure you are following me on Instagram so you can see all the action in my stories.

In the Gardens

It was blazing saddles hot this week! But the gardens are really thriving.

I am IN LOVE with the potager garden right now. The raised garden beds are doing amazing. My flowers all started blooming and the vegetables are starting to grow too!

I can’t wait to start harvesting tomatoes. They are my favorite summer produce in the garden with cucumbers coming in a close second.

calendula, larkspur, snapdragons in potager garden by fountain

Because the flowers have been blooming like crazy in this garden, I’ve been out here every day cutting them to make flower arrangements.

Are you growing a cut flower garden this year too?

Let me know what’s blooming in your garden today. I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

snapdragon bouquet with view of front porch garden and gomphrena truffala pink

The Japanese beetles have started munching on my plants.

I’ve noticed a majority of them on my borage plants in the potager garden. So to me right now, they are like a trap plant to keep the pests away from my other flowers.

Something to consider when you are planting your garden next year if they are a problem for you.

dahlia jowey winnie
First Bloom of Dahlia Jowey Winnie

The Scariest Thing Happened!

Last weekend we were in Vermont for the 4th of July weekend. We were planning to stay until the 5th but the weather wasn’t great AND something happened that you won’t believe!

As Chris and I were going to bed one night, I turned over to go to sleep but he was still reading.

All of a sudden he exclaimed, “A BAT!!!! A bat’s in here!!!”

He throws the covers over me and the dogs and as the bat flew out of our room, he slammed the door shut.

HOLY COW!!!! How did it get in?

Turns out one of the windows was open upstairs with no screen and it was storming so badly, it must’ve sought shelter indoors.

Chris left me in the room with the dogs to hunt for it so see if he could get it out, but he never found it.

We called a wildlife service to come out and he couldn’t find it either.

So let’s hope it left through the open window on it’s own!

pink zinnias close up
Zinnias

What I’m Shopping For This Week

Amazon Prime Day is coming up on July 11 and 12th!

Are you familiar with what it is?

If not, here’s a quick rundown.

What is Amazon Prime Day?

Amazon Prime Day is an annual two-day event that offers discounts on a wide variety of products. It is exclusive to Amazon Prime members, who pay a monthly or annual fee for free two-day shipping, streaming video, and other benefits.

Amazon Prime Day 2023 will take place on July 11 and 12, 2023. The deals will start at 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time on both days.

The deals are really good during this time, so if you aren’t an Amazon Prime member yet, I highly recommend signing up stat! You can sign up here.

You can get deep discounts on a wide variety of products, including electronics, appliances, clothing, and home goods.

It’s also a great opportunity to stock up on items that you’ve been wanting to buy and affords an opportunity to try new products as you won’t have to pay full price.

We LOVE Amazon Prime Video. There are some great movies and shows to watch. If you haven’t seen Jury Duty yet with James Marsden I highly recommend it! The show is hilarious.

But I also love Amazon Prime Music Unlimited too! You can access millions of songs – and it’s so much easier to play from Amazon Echo Studio if you have that in your house too.

And when my daughters left for college, they each signed up for their own Amazon Prime Student so they could get what they needed when they needed it. It’s a really great deal for students.

If you have Amazon Prime, you can “Watch this Deal” to save it to your watchlists. Members will be notified once their chosen deal is live during Prime Day. Also new for Prime Day, members can filter searches to discover products from small businesses with the Small Business Search filter too!

borage flowers in the potager garden as a companion plant idea for the vegetable garden
Borage Flowers

What I’m Shopping for During Amazon Prime Day

So now that you’ve got the lowdown on Amazon Prime shopping days, this is what I’m shopping for:

  • If you don’t have an Amazon Alexa device yet, start with an Echo Dot like this. They are super affordable and are great room additions around the house. We have them in a few rooms so we can listen to music whenever and wherever we want. I want to get another one for the sunroom.
  • I’m stocking up on some items for the VT cabin and our NJ home because you can save up to 75% on select Amazon devices, including the Invite-only deal on 43” Fire TV Omni Series (need this for the VT house in the basement, Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen) (one of ours got lost so need to replace), Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) (would love to get this one as a gift), Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen) (after the bat incident, we are getting few of these!), and Ring Battery Doorbell Plus (we are adding to additional doorways), Kindle Scribe (this one is for me!) and I’m interested in checking out the all-new Fire Max 11 tablet.
  • As I was packing for my trip, I realized my luggage is a bit tattered and torn. So I think I’m going to order this luggage set for myself since I’m traveling more often.
  • Fall decorating is just around the corner, so I am stocking up on more of these flameless taper candles. I use them all over my house! It’s cozy set and forget decorating on auto pilot.
  • I’m considering investing in a really good Canon camera that I can use in conjunction with my cell phone. Yes, I take all of my photos and videos with my iPhone! But I’d really love a good camera to do more high-quality filming.
  • I saw this under the desk treadmill and think it’s genius! I can move while reading emails and stuff at a standup desk. If you have one, please comment below I’d love to hear what you think!
variety of dahlias in potager garden
Variety of dahlias in the potager garden

Garden Supplies I’m Stocking Up On

gomphrena truffala pink proven winners with angelonia cascade blue, prism pink superbells and supertunia mini vista violet in planters by front porch of 1850 farmhouse with white rockers

What’s Happening at Bricks ‘n Blooms

It was a fun week on the blog!

We started the week off where I shared how to blend beauty and functionality for sustainable living. Learn how to design a potager garden with these simple tips.

I also shared 17 common flower gardening mistakes to avoid so you can grow a beautiful, bountiful, and healthy garden.

We’ve all been there making quick decisions while planting, maintaining and caring for our gardens.

But these are some things to keep in mind as you might regret them later!

And finally, I also shared some tips for how to get non-stop color in the garden using annuals. This is a great read in preparation for fall gardening which is just around the corner!

kogane fubuki dahlia flower close up
Kogane Fubuki Dahlia Flower

My Favorites From Around the Web

As you know, I love to share posts from other bloggers from around the web. Wait until you see these inspiring posts!

This tomato, avocado and corn salsa recipe.

This charming coastal DIY.

And this patriotic rag wreath DIY.

zen garden planters with proven winners annual plants dahlias, coleus and supertunias with colocasia and snapdragons

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.

cut hydrangea Centerpiece idea for a picnic date with friends

How to Keep Cut Hydrangeas Fresh: The Secrets to Long-Lasting Blooms

25 shares Facebook Pinterest Threads Email Keep cut hydrangeas fresh and vibrant for weeks with these anti-wilting tips! Plus, learn how to revive droopy blooms. Ah, hydrangeas. Those big, beautiful pom-poms of color that grace our gardens and brighten our homes. But let’s be honest, haven’t we all experienced the dread of watching those once-perky…
Read More How to Keep Cut Hydrangeas Fresh: The Secrets to Long-Lasting Blooms
A lush garden with blooming shrubs, a small pond surrounded by rocks, flowering plants, and a wooden deck in the foreground. Tall trees and greenery fill the background.

Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly 232

Hi there! I hope you had an amazing week! Random Things Happening Behind the Scenes at Bricks ‘n Blooms In the Garden It was a hot one this week! The crazy fluctuation in temps is becoming an issue for some of my plants. I just noticed my lungwort has powdery mildew – which has never…
Read More Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly 232
Close-up of a bouquet of pink and white peonies in full bloom. The flowers have soft, ruffled petals with shades ranging from pale pink to creamy white. Background shows greenery and hints of other plants, giving an outdoor garden setting.

The #1 Trick for a Peony Bouquet That Last for Weeks (It’s All in the Bud!)

Wish your beautiful peony bouquet would last longer? Learn the #1 bud cutting trick for stunning blooms that stay fresh & vibrant for weeks. Isn’t it just the best feeling when peony season finally arrives? Your garden is a riot of color, filled with those magnificent, fragrant blooms you’ve patiently waited for. You can’t wait…
Read More The #1 Trick for a Peony Bouquet That Last for Weeks (It’s All in the Bud!)
Home and Garden Blogger Stacy Ling cutting zinnia flowers in her cottage garden with wood picket fence in front of garden shed

Thank you so much for following along.

Enjoy a beautiful day! xo

stacy ling logo
The bricks \'n Blooms guide to a beautiful and easy-care flower garden book by stacy ling
The Bricks ‘n Blooms Guide to a Beautiful and Easy Care Flower Garden
  • Have you never met a plant you couldn’t kill?
  • Have you dug around in the dirt with nothing to show for it except a sunburn and a sore back?
  • Do you currently enjoy growing flowers, but are looking for more tips and ideas to level up your gardening game?

Then the Bricks ‘n Blooms Guide is for YOU

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6 Comments

  1. Your potager garden is so beautiful. Your visit to the flower garden tour this week sounds like so much fun. Enjoy!

  2. Stacy, oh my goodness! I had the same bat experience up at our cabin however, I was there all by myself, and there were two bats flying around while I was under the covers screaming. So good to catch up with your blog post today. We’ve been traveling and I’m so far behind so looking forward to reading some back posts. Safe travels to Michigan! Sounds like you will be around lots of lovely flowers.

    1. Mary that must’ve been so scary! Whatever happened with them? My flight was canceled and I can’t get another one out in time. I am super bummed!