Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly 147

Hi there!

I hope you had a great week! And Happy Labor Day Weekend!

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Random Things Happening Behind the Scenes at Bricks ‘n Blooms

What a week it was!

Before I jump right in, I just want to express how thankful I am that you are all here and how much I appreciate your support for my new book! It means so much to me that you are all as excited about this as much as I am.

I still can’t believe I can call myself an author now!

But enough about the book, let’s get into the week and how things are going here in the gardens.

Professional Highlights from the Week

From a professional standpoint, I’m having a great week. While part of that was due to the book announcement, so many other great things happened this week too!

For starters, my gardens are featured in the September/October Issue of Horticulture Magazine! It’s a beautiful spread of my front porch gardens in fall. Be sure to check it out!

I also had the privilege of sitting down with Melanie from Southern Crush at Home on her podcast, Creatives on Fire to discuss all things blogging, how I niched down my content and found success in this business. You can listen to the podcast here.

And, I was also featured by Niche Pursuits in an interview about my blogging journey, how using SEO helped scale my business, as well as tips for growing a blog and brand. You can read the interview here.

In My Home

After a tearful drop-off with Tori last week at college, we started our new normal here with just Chris, Mackenzie, myself, and the dogs. It was a bit quieter than usual, but I’m getting used to it.

We got her dorm room all set up, she is doing great, and we couldn’t be happier for her on her new adventure.

So let the empty nesting begin!

My good friends and I celebrated one of my besties, Margaret’s art show at the local hospital. We toured her exhibit and went out to lunch afterward.

There was a good group of us and I’m grateful we were all able to get together to celebrate Margaret’s incredible achievement.

She shared like 40 paintings she has created. Each one is really beautiful and unique so it was fun to get a closer look at all of her hard work.

To see more of her beautiful work, you can check it out here.

I started decorating inside my home for fall to get ready for a fall home tour I’m participating in this week on the blog. And you may be thinking, geez it’s a little early for that. Right?

I couldn’t agree with you more. However, I am getting started earlier in my home so I can share some fall decorating ideas with you so that when you are ready to decorate, you’ll be inspired.

The foliage is starting to change here, the leaves are starting to drop, the kids are back in school, so I’m ready to roll into fall anyway.

In the Gardens

But the gardens? I’m not rushing because I am going to squeeze as much joy out of this growing season as I possibly can!

I harvested the rest of the onions and potatoes this week. That was a bit of a chore, but I got it done!

Some of the zinnias are showing signs of fall. I’m noticing some powdery mildew from the cooler nights we’ve been having.

Do I do anything about this? Nope! I just let nature do its thing and keep cutting the flowers. Because they are still looking amazing!

As an aside, I wipe my snips down between plants when I’m cutting so I don’t pass anything along to other plants.

The tomatoes are still producing but are getting a bit tired. A few plants are done, so I’ll be pulling them. I started freezing tomatoes this week to preserve what we aren’t consuming. It’s a quick and easy way to ensure fresh produce later in the year.

The same goes for the cucumbers. There are a few growing, but overall production is slowing down and the plant is kind of done.

Penhill Watermelon Dahlias hit their stride this week. They started blooming a few weeks ago but the Japanese beetles were doing a number on them. So there wasn’t much to photograph.

But now? They are blooming beautifully and I’ve started cutting them for bouquets more regularly instead of just deadheading them.

My Cafe Au Lait dahlias STILL have not bloomed. They’ve got buds on them and have looked like they are going to bloom for weeks now.

This may be my last year growing them. There are so many other dahlias that bloom earlier and more than these. I’m leaning towards not wasting the garden space on them next growing season.

I may change my mind when they bloom, but as of now, I think I’m crossing them off my list.

And finally, the black-eyed Susans are blooming so beautifully right now. Remember when I said I hadn’t staked them up yet?

Well, I finally got around to doing it. I used some green garden stakes, twine, and my little terracotta pots so no one gets injured and they look pretty good!

I wish I propped them up sooner. Next year, I’ll be more prepared. It’s hard though because when there is less growth, you secretly hope they won’t fall over. And then one day after a good storm, bam. They need help.

I’ve never needed to support them before in my former gardens, but this variety here? Definitely needs help because those blooms fall over.

Each garden is so different, right?

In addition to my rudbeckia blooming, sedum autumn joy is starting to pink up. For me, this is the most fun plant to watch in the garden.

I love seeing this one grow, bloom and change during the growing season. As it starts to pink up, you just know fall is coming.

Weekend Trip

Chris and I decided to take a trip to Vermont this weekend. The weather has been beautiful so we did some hiking, thrifting, boating, and dined out at our favorite restaurants.

As an aside, the boating season is a bit shorter here because it gets colder much sooner than in New Jersey. So this may be the last weekend we get to enjoy the boat if we can’t get back up here.

It was a little chilly when we arrived the other day too. Like I was wearing a tank top and shorts only to immediately change into sweats and pants before heading out to dinner.

We are traveling back to New Jersey today to avoid the traffic tomorrow and have a down day poolside before getting back into the work routine.

What are you doing for Labor Day Weekend? I hope something fun!

What I’m Shopping For This Week

I was influenced yet again but a beauty influencer and picked up a few products to try plus some kitchen must-haves that I think you’ll love.

Oh, and I bought a few things for the garden too. Here’s what I bought this week!

For the Garden:

• I bought more plant food so I can feed my houseplants one last time before they go into dormancy.
• Stocking up on potting soil so I’m ready to plant fall containers.
• This edging tool is THE BEST! Slices through roots with ease.

For the Home:

• I bought this lavender syrup to add to my lemon water. And let me tell you, it was so good! I drink a lot of water throughout the day and this is a fun way to change it up.
• I also bought this vegetable chopper and IT IS THE BOMB! It really speeds up your chopping time into equal pieces. Love it!
• This microfiber cleaning cloth for glass works SO WELL! I just bought it and am amazed at how well it cleans my windows. Cause I have a lot to clean!
• I updated our dinnerware with these stoneware dinner and salad plates.
• This boho table runner.
• These woven chargers.
• These linen napkins are PERFECT for fall dinners.
• These air fryer liners work so well!
• This faux potted mint will look green up a dark corner where I can’t grow things! Love the planter it’s in too.
• These hanging planters are in my cart – considering them for the sunroom.

For Me:

• These trousers are great for a casual day or evening out.
• This lip liner and pencil duo creates the perfect nude lip.
• These utility wide leg pants – I’m so glad they are back in style!
• These palazzo cargo pants are so fun!
• This cozy teddy bear robe is like a huge hug! LOVE IT!
• What a cute denim skirt! It’s perfect for fall with some tall boots.
• This eye cream helps depuff. I’m going to try it out!

What’s Happening at Bricks ‘n Blooms

It was a fun week on the blog!

We are getting into lots of great fall gardening stuff now. So here’s what we chatted about this week!

For starters, I shared the best cheap fall gardening tips that will help save you money this season.

Whether you are growing a flower, herb, or vegetable garden, with a little planning you can save money while reaping the rewards of a thriving fall garden.

Learn how to save money in the garden this fall with these budget-friendly tips.

Plus, I shared 10 stunning fall foliage plants that will help create a stunning display in your landscape.

While many plants lose their leaves as the temperature drops, others undergo a stunning transformation, painting the landscape with shades of red, orange, yellow, and even purple.

There is a world of non-flowering plants that can still bring a burst of color to your fall garden, even if it doesn’t bloom.

Learn how to get beautiful fall foliage color with these easy-care plants.

With my garden producing more tomatoes than my family can consume, I’m starting to freeze them so I can use them in recipes later on.

Have you ever frozen tomatoes before?

The process is ridiculously easy and it’s a great way to preserve the harvest so you can enjoy them year-round.

Whether you grew tomatoes in your garden or purchased fresh from the farmer’s market, wait until you see how simple it is to freeze tomatoes.

And finally, we chatted about how to grow celosia plants. They are a beautiful annual that blooms in summer and fall that adds lots of bright bold texture and color to beds and containers.

Not to mention, it is a great cut flower that looks incredible in bouquets too. Have you grown it before?

Learn how to grow celosia this fall and enjoy the flowers with these simple tips.

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 cheap and easy DIY Pottery Barn-inspired basket tray tutorial.

This DIY mushroom cap bowl is trending right now!

This easy and affordable desk hutch.

These air-fryed peaches sound AMAZING!

This Dollar Tree DIY pumpkin wreath sounds easy to make!

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.

Thank you so much for following along.

Enjoy a beautiful day! xo