Bricks 'n Blooms Weekly 283

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Hi there!

I hope you had an amazing week!

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Behind the Scenes at Bricks ‘n Blooms

Another week planting and I am not mad about it! I finished potting up most of my containers. I’m holding off on two near the front pond because they still look good and I’m going to let them go until they’re done.

I also pulled all of the pansies which I do not usually do this early but they were not looking good anymore! We had a heat wave about a week or so ago and they have not looked the same.

Sure I can give them some time and let them bounce back with cooler temps – if we were going to have them. But my New Jersey weather will pretty much head into heat and humidity so it’s not worth the wait at this point.

So planting more annuals it is!

I found some rabbit damage on my bordeaux supertunias. They’ve not hit those before so now I’m doing damage control in the pool garden. For the time being, I’m covering them with wire cloches.

I also planted my sunflower and nasturtium seeds. And I was going to plant borage seeds, but don’t feel the need given it self-seeded last year and is in my garden getting ready to flower.

I set up the first layer of support netting in two of my raised beds but still need to do the dahlia bed. The tubers are just starting to sprout so I still have some time before it has to be done.

Here are some garden photos from the week so you can see how things are coming along in the welcome garden.

Purple salvia flowers bloom in a garden bed bordered by mulch, with more greenery and purple flowers in the background. A wooden garden structure stands in the distance among lush foliage and flowering plants. — Pink Profusion Salvia

A two-story tan house with white trim, a large front porch with rocking chairs, hanging flower baskets, and lush landscaping featuring green grass, colorful flowers, and shrubs along a stone walkway.

A close-up of a large, round purple allium flower blooming in a garden, with more purple alliums and greenery in the background along a stone wall on a cloudy day. — Globemaster Alliums

The peonies are popping off! It smells amazing here right now. And I planted 30 new peonies last year that are coming in nicely – they don’t have massive blooms yet, but they will over time.

Vibrant pink peonies bloom in a garden bed, surrounded by green leaves, with more peony bushes and a paved path visible in the background.

Pink peonies and a single round purple allium bloom among green leaves in a lush garden, with a dark green fence and trees visible in the blurred background.

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Book cover for "Filling Your Home with Life" by Stacy Ling, showing a cozy porch with a white swing bench, floral cushions, potted plants, and greenery in the background. Subtext: a guide to styling your space with plants.

Seasonal Essentials

My dog Koda is shedding like crazy! I bought a new pet hair removal tool that has like 194k reviews! Her fur is all over my outdoor furniture and I need a better way to get it off.

If you have a pool…I JUST bought a new pool vacuum for it. We never upgraded the old one that was here when we moved in and I don’t think it works anymore. So I bought a new pool vacuum that should get the job done.

As an aside, I bought the betta last year and it does a great job of skimming the pool. We’ve had so much pollen lately and it has helped cut down my time manually skimming the water.

Before you know it, slugs will destry my hostas, so I went around applying organic slug bait around all of my hostas to keep the foliage intact.

If you have any interest in preserving flowers from your garden. This is the flower press kit that I have.

My collapsible bin has been getting a ton of use lately after pulling all those pansies this week. It’s so lightweight, easy to use and folds flat for easy storage.

I needed more organic veggie fertilizer – I did not have enough.

Lush green hostas and other plants grow in a mulched garden bed bordered by stone, with a green fence and trees in the background. A small red tricycle is partially visible among the plants.

From the Week

Earlier this week I shared a few ways to add more color, texture, and structure to your summer garden, including how to design window boxes for season-long impact and how to create beautiful containers using the classic thriller, filler, and spiller approach.

I also wrote about one of my favorite summer recipes, my grandmother’s fresh bruschetta, along with tips for direct sowing flowers and what actually works when powdery mildew starts showing up on zinnias.

For garden design inspiration, I took a closer look at some of the lessons I brought home from Chanticleer Garden and the design techniques that make those spaces feel so intentional and inviting.

Over on YouTube, I shared why some gardens still don’t feel full, even when they’re packed with plants, and what to add next to create a more layered, abundant look. I also highlighted the plants doing the heavy lifting in my garden right now, earning their keep with months of color, structure, and low-maintenance performance.

This week’s content was all about creating a garden that looks fuller, performs better, and carries beauty through the entire growing season.

Thank you so much for following along.

Enjoy a beautiful day! xo