Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly 156
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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!
It was a big week in the gardens, cleaning out the beds, planting spring flowering bulbs, and potting up my amaryllis and houseplants.
I was today years old when I learned this…
This is the first year I’m planting hyacinth bulbs. I mean, I’ve grown them before but only potted them from nursery pots as full-grown flowers.
So here’s a little tip for you in case you’ve never done this before because I learned the hard way this week.
Wear gloves when you handle the bulbs. Even just the bags with hyacinth bulbs in them. Cause that’s all I was doing.
I wasn’t wearing gloves, organized all of the bulbs I bought so I could plant them when all of a sudden, but hands started itching like crazy! And I must have touched my neck because that quickly started itching too!
So I ran to jump in the shower and washed off really well until the itch was gone. Needless to say, I won’t be making that mistake again.
Always wear gloves when handling bulbs, especially hyacinths. Not everyone will have an allergic reaction to them, but if you are sensitive to them, yikes it is itchy!
I’m not allergic to handling tulips, daffodils, crocus, or alliums but apparently, there is something in the bulbs that can irritate your skin. Hyacinth is supposedly the worst and I have to agree!
The First Frost
We had our first frost too, so I was feverishly working outside to get my tender bulbs dug up, cleaned off, and stored for the next growing season.
I’m definitely saving my colocasia but only saving a few of the dahlias. There are so many out there and I’d rather just buy new. Plus, I want to see if I can overwinter them here.
The gardening here is a little different from where I used to live even though it’s the same gardening zone. So I’m going to try mulching them well and see if they come back up.
I doubt they will so I’ll still buy new tubers for next year, but given the different growing conditions here, I want to test it out.
While I leveled the raised garden beds in the potager garden on Friday, I decided I was going to try overwintering some plants that I don’t have room for in my home like my geraniums, in the cottage where I store all of my home decor and garden supplies.
It’s warm and I think I’ll be able to keep some of these going in pots with minimal work from me until I’m ready to get them going again in late winter. I’ll let them go dormant, they won’t look pretty, but they’ll stay warm and cozy until I can get them outside again.
So while I dug up and pulled all of my colocasia, I’m going to replant them all in one large container and keep them in the cottage. This way, when February rolls around, I can start feeding them with a slow-release fertilizer, wake them up from dormancy, and then transfer them to pots in the zen garden when I’m ready.
I actually did this last year with them inside my home but just don’t have the room for pots that don’t look so great, so I think this is a good way to keep them and get them started early again next year.
Yes, I can put them up in winter but I don’t want to do that when it’s really cold outside so I’d rather make the mess now while it’s still warm and just leave them be. I’ll check on them periodically to see how they are doing.
Christmas is Not Cancelled Live
I also did a live tablescaping class from the potager garden yesterday for Christmas is Not Cancelled. Each class at Christmas University helps raise money for the charity Toys with Tots.
It was a gorgeous day for the class and I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did doing it!
What I’m Shopping For This Week
Christmas Decor! I just bought a bunch of great stuff for this year’s Christmas aesthetic in the family room. Oh, and I also bought a few garden supplies so I could pot up my amaryllis and some spider plant babies.
Here’s what I bought this week!
- I love this rustic reindeer and just bought it for my family room!
- Each year, I stock up on more real-touch Norfolk pine trees, wreaths, stems, and garland. These will sell out quickly. If you want realistic-looking faux greens, you want these. I use them all over my house and you can never have too many.
- This pillow and this pillow for the family room.
- This cute apron.
- Love this wall decor so much I bought two different ones. Here’s the other.
- Love this gold ribbon and will be using a lot of it around the house.
- These ornaments are gorgeous! I love this for my family room tree.
- And these ornaments too!
- I bought two of these wreaths for my family room doors.
- But this wreath was a contender for me too. It’s really gorgeous.
- I found these peony flowers in Waco and held them in my hand. They are incredible! I bought them now for spring.
- And these ranunuculas too.
- Potting mix for my amaryllis.
What’s Happening at Bricks ‘n Blooms
It was a fun week on the blog!
I shared my first 25-page Thanksgiving Essentials ebook. You can download it for free here. It’s got all the things you need, ad-free to host or attend a Thanksgiving Feast.
We also chatted about how to grow Christmas amaryllis. If you’ve never done this before, they are a must-grow for winter! They bloom for a long time and really liven things up when it’s cold and dreary outside.
I also shared my family’s favorite soup recipe that they ask for at least a few times a month. It’s also a great comfort food when you’re sick! And since we are heading into cold and flu season, you’ll want to save this one to your Pinterest board for quick reference.
I also shared my best tips for setting a table for Thanksgiving that will impress your guests.
And finally, I shared my favorite rustic elegant Christmas decor finds on Amazon. I curated a great list of finds that will help create a cozy home with a rustic vibe.
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 recycled wine cork Christmas tree is adorable!!!
- These tips for transforming second-hand finds into gorgeous home decor.
- These festive foyer ideas for the holidays.
- This harvest charcuterie board.
- I love these breakfast charcuterie board ideas too!
- These ideas to transform your home from fall to Christmas seamlessly.
If you enjoy these posts, you can find past Bricks ‘n Blooms Weekly posts here.
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- Helpful how-tos for container and cut flower gardening
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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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Enjoy a beautiful day! xo
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