Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly 142
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!
It was a HOT week here in New Jersey. We also had a number of storms roll through that brought down some heavy branches and knocked down some of my taller, heavier flowers.
All is well though overall so I’m not complaining.
I did a bunch of weeding and deadheading flowers this week. So I had to work early before the temperatures rose.
As an aside, I’m not the most motivated gardener early in the mornings, so pushing myself to get out there was not easy!
Oh, and the vegetable harvesting has been amazing so far. I’ve got a ton of jalapenos, cucumbers, and squash.
And the tomatoes just started ripening too.
This is also the time of year when the problems start setting in. Are you seeing some pest and disease problems too?
The Japanese beetles are really going to town on my dahlias now. It’s disappointing to see them destroy some of the blooms.
I knock them off into a bucket of soapy water when I’m out there in the mornings as much as I can. Hopefully, they’ll leave sooner than later.
Last summer, the lawn by the front porch and the stone wall started browning out. We had an extremely hot and dry summer, plus I discovered some grubs in the lawn.
I treated the areas with milky spore and reseeded with tall fescue. This year, only the porch lawn is browning out. So progress, am I right?
It may need a summer application of fertilizer which I generally don’t do, but in this case. I think it needs it to help prevent summer drought conditions.
So next year, I’ll add a late June application to these areas only to help keep the lawn going in summer and see how they do.
In the meantime, I’ll be reseeding these areas and adding another application of milky spore again.
On a personal note, we spent some time with my great aunt, uncle, mom, and stepdad last weekend by the pool. It was fun to get together and catch up!
This weekend, we took a quick trip to Vermont to do some hiking, boating, and thrifting at the outdoor flea market.
I can’t wait to show you guys what I found!
What I’m Shopping For This Week
With all the rain, I needed to get a few more last-minute plant supports for some flowers that are now flopping over.
Sigh.
To combat the Japanese beetle problem, I stocked up on some milky spore and a new applicator for it. It’s not time to apply it just yet, but I am preparing so I’m ready to go next month.
I also snagged some cute summer outfits!
- I LOVE this summer dress (see below pic) so I bought it in a few more colors. It fits true to size and is very slimming.
- These breezy pants in a few colors.
- This top is in a few colors.
- And these strappy sandals.
What’s Happening at Bricks ‘n Blooms
It was a fun week on the blog!
We celebrated Christmas in July with a fun post detailing 20 of the best Christmas flowers and plants to grow this year.
If you want to grow fresh flowers for Christmas, now is the time to shop for them for fall planting.
And if you want the look but don’t want to care for the real deal, I got you. Check out the beautiful faux options at the end of the post.
It’s peach season! So my supper club and I got together for a summer dinner party with a peach theme.
As an aside, I love how beautiful everyone’s tables looked for this one!
We shared some peachy table decor and centerpiece ideas together with some mouthwatering peach recipes you’ve got to try!
Since I was the host this month, I was in charge of the main course. And let me tell you it does not disappoint.
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.
And I must be hungry as I’m scrolling the web because most of these are recipes today!
This peach tablescape is GORGEOUS.
This recipe for peach bruschetta sounds divine!
I’m always up for a good summer sangria recipe too.
This guide for planning Christmas in July.
This cobb salad recipe looks and sounds amazing!
I can’t wait to try this pineapple zucchini recipe.
These tips for styling a boxwood wreath.
This pineapple smoothie recipe.
And this easy dump cake recipe.
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.
- 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 like to use THIS ORGANIC FERTILIZER for roses because the blooms are more prolific and it’s organic.
- 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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