Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly 143
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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!
After a fun weekend in Vermont, I spent the week in the gardens.
It was sunny all week long in the 80’s so it wasn’t too bad getting out there for a few hours each day cutting flowers, harvesting vegetables, weeding, and watering.
I spent some time adding more support for some of the dahlias too. After those heavy rains a few weeks ago, they really took a beating.
They still look gorgeous but are leaning over a little too much for my taste. So I threw a few extra half-moon support hoops in there to help prop them upright.
And while we are on the subject of dahlias, can we just take a step back and appreciate how they are doing this summer?
Last summer was a total bust with them. So I am really thrilled they are blooming so profusely this year.
They love the raised garden beds as much as I do.
Aside from the dahlias, the zinnias have also hit their stride this week. I planted several in the raised beds, but also around the perimeter of the garden.
They are so fun and easy to grow. And I’m really enjoying them again this year.
As I’m admiring my gardens, I’m taking lots of notes for next year. I think I’m going to do almost all of my cut flowers in the potager instead of in different beds around the property.
And I’d like to simplify how many flowers I start from seed. Although I say that every year and then I go big or go home when it’s time to start seeds.
So remind me that I said this when I start talking about starting flowers from seeds in January. LOL!
Some of the onions are bursting out of the ground and the potato foliage is dying back. So I started harvesting them.
Not all but some.
Even the celery looks ready to harvest!
We’ve also got a ton of ripening tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and jalapenos I’m trying to keep up with too.
This is the best time of year in the vegetable garden.
What I’m Shopping For This Week
I am shopping for garden supplies and lots of college dorm stuff!
While we had a bunch of stuff from my older two, we still needed to shop around for a few things.
If you are looking for dorm stuff too, you can check out my dorm essentials shopping list here.
But aside from the college dorm stuff, I had to restock on a bunch of garden supplies so I’m ready for fall gardening. Here’s what I bought!
- More half-moon support stakes. And I ordered them twice!
- This rose fertilizer.
- This fertilizer is for the vegetable garden.
- I needed more potting soil.
- And this slow-release fertilizer. It’s the last feeding for the year!
- This bloom booster will help keep the annual flowers blooming until frost.
- And this deer repellent is a must-have.
What’s Happening at Bricks ‘n Blooms
It was a fun week but a busy week on the blog!
We kicked off the week chatting about how to dry flowers and hydrangea flowers. I mean, if we are going to grow all these flowers, we should cut and enjoy them indoors too as the season starts winding down.
Learn how to dry flowers with these simple tips.
Oh, and I’ve got an even EASIER way to dry hydrangeas.
Learn how to do it here.
If you’ve noticed deer damage in your garden, I also shared 7 of the best deer repellents.
I’ve used each one of these and found they work differently but are each successful at keeping deer away from your flowers and plants.
Speaking of deer, if you want to perennial plant that they tend to avoid, you’ve got to try growing lavender!
Are you growing it in your garden yet?
Learn how to care for lavender and enjoy the flowers with these simple tips.
And finally, I shared a few YouTube videos this week after a brief hiatus.
First, we toured my potager garden where I shared what’s growing and blooming in the raised beds that Chris built for me.
Come tour the gardens with me here.
Second, I shared a beautiful summer tablescape in the potager garden.
You may recall seeing it last week on the blog, but I shared it in real time on my YouTube channel as well.
Watch it 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.
This coastal DIY is perfect for the beach.
This DIY felt leaf garland is perfect for fall.
Love this yard sale find of the century!
These open letter ideas for your college student.
These dahlia flower arrangement ideas.
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, 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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