Bricks 'n Blooms Weekly 291

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I hope you had an amazing week!

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Behind the Scenes at Bricks ‘n Blooms

This week was a big one…I finished the fourth manuscript for my next book! 🎉

I can’t even tell you how excited I am to finally type those words. This week I’ll be sending the manuscript off to my publisher, and I truly think you’re going to love this one. It’s all about low-maintenance flower gardening, which, if you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know is exactly how I approach gardening. Since my kids were very young, easy-care gardening has always been my goal, and I can’t wait to share everything I’ve learned over the last three decades.

Curved brick path bordered by lush green grass and colorful flower beds, leading beside a house in a vibrant, landscaped garden with trees in the background.

In the garden, I wrapped up another round of weeding and deadheading, and honestly? It wasn’t a huge project. That’s one of the biggest benefits of gardening this way. Now that we’ve lived here for a few seasons and the gardens have had time to mature, I’ve settled into a rhythm of caring for each garden room a little at a time instead of trying to tackle everything all at once.

A large empty flower pot sits among colorful blooming flowers and green plants in a garden, with a stone edge and a person standing in the background.

The potager is finally bouncing back after all the groundhog damage earlier this summer. The zinnias, China asters, and strawflowers are blooming beautifully, my volunteer sunflowers are somehow still going strong (which makes me smile every time I see them), and my dahlias are just days away from opening. I can hardly wait! Even though the gardens are at peak bloom, I’m already making mental notes about changes I’d like to make. For now, though, those ideas are staying in my notebook. July and August are for enjoying the garden and sticking to light maintenance. The bigger projects can wait until fall.

A wooden garden table with wicker chairs is surrounded by lush plants and flowers. Small terracotta pots and gardening tools rest on the table. A stone fountain is visible in the background.

Purple flowers in a planter sit in front of wicker chairs, with a tiered stone fountain and lush green garden in the background. Orange pots line a raised bed behind the fountain.

Bright green Swiss chard leaves with vivid red veins grow beside clusters of small, pinkish-purple flowers. A green bud is visible in the upper right. The background shows other blurred garden plants and a fence. — Swiss Chard and Dara

A cluster of small white flowers with yellow centers is surrounded by green leaves. Purple-veined, green leaves are visible in the upper left corner. The scene appears to be a garden or outdoor plant bed. — Feverfew and onrmental basil

A lush garden with leafy greens and herbs in the foreground, and a table with wicker chairs, potted plants, and a fountain in the background, surrounded by greenery.

Outside the garden, it was a week full of fun too. Chris and I spent Sunday sailing around New York Harbor on my sister-in-law’s yacht, and seeing the Manhattan skyline from the water was absolutely gorgeous. I also squeezed in several rounds of golf, including one with my daughter Tori. I have to admit, I’m really loving my golf life. It’s the perfect excuse to step away from the garden for a few hours, and this week we’re planning to play my very first 18-hole round!

We also had a sneaker decorating party at my sister-in-law’s house to get ready for my niece’s wedding, which was such a fun way to celebrate together. And perhaps two of the biggest family milestone of all.

A hand wearing beaded bracelets holds a small glass jar with vibrant flowers. In the background are boats in a marina, green grass, and tall city buildings under a clear blue sky. — If you invite me, I’ll bring flowers from the garden

View of the New York City skyline from a boat on the water, with the One World Trade Center visible and a flag on the boat's railing in the foreground. Sailboats float nearby under a blue sky.

A man and woman wearing sunglasses and smiling sit together on a boat, with blue water and sky in the background. The man wears a wide hat and a light blue shirt; the woman wears a white shirt.

View of the New York City skyline, including One World Trade Center, seen from a boat on the water with part of the boat’s railing and deck visible in the foreground.

The Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island with two boats in the foreground, one paddleboat named "BOSS LADY NYC" and a sailboat, under a clear blue sky.

For starters, we celebrated Tori’s 21st birthday! I honestly don’t know how that happened so fast.

And second, Chris and I are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary this week! Hard to believe how much time as flown by.

Summer is flying by, and I’m trying to soak up every minute of it.

Three women wearing sunglasses and hats smile for a selfie on a sunny golf course, with green grass and trees in the background.

Two women sit in a golf cart on a sunny day. One takes a selfie, making a pouty face, while the other smiles at the camera. Both wear golf attire and appear relaxed, with green grass and blue sky in the background. — Golfing with my daughter, Tori

Seasonal Essentials

I’ve been asked alot about this obelisk in my welcome garden. It has been in my garden for two years and held up well through the elements. Very good quality – you do have to assemble it yourself. But I love it.
Bought some more bloom booster. As you can imagine…I have a lot of flowers to feed.
I love this green vase for late summer and fall bouquets.
What a great serving platter for seasonal entertaining too!
I needed to restock this brightening serum. I use it daily just before moisturizing.
I need a kitchen towel refresh for the upcoming season and love these.
If I was in the market for a new kitchen mixer, I would go all in on this one. I love the aesthetic.
I love these woven chargers….I would get them but I already have something similar that I purchased years ago. This is a great staple for a beautiful tablescape that you can use all year round.
This lightweight cotton cashmere sweater is perfect for those cooler evenings as we head into fall.
I also love this color blue for this sweater! I have it in a different color but may have to get this one too.
Just bought this 21 oz glass tumbler so I can sip my lavender lemonade by the pool. I have something similar that I bought from amazon that is a little smaller so I have to refill it more often than I’d like.
This is great for watching summer movies outdoors with the family!
If you are golfing or play pickleball this summer, this shirt is super lightweight! It was 100 degrees when my friend took this pic and I didn’t feel it at all.
I also prefer using a fingerless golf glove – I don’t love my entire hand feeling restricted while playing but appreciate the coverage for my palms.
And this golf hat is lightweight, perfect for golf or pickleball, and has a spot for your ponytail…which I love.

Woman in a red sleeveless top, white shorts, hat, and sunglasses stands on a golf course, smiling and holding a golf club over her shoulder. The flag and green are visible in the background.

From the Week

This Week on Bricks ‘n Blooms

If your garden is starting to look a little tired after its early summer peak, this week’s articles are all about keeping the color going and making the most of what’s blooming right now.

One of the questions I get asked most is how my gardens always seem to have something in bloom. I shared the design principles I use to create an everblooming flower garden, along with how I layer trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, and bulbs to keep the show going from spring through fall.

Along those same lines, I also pulled back the curtain on how I design my flower beds for season-long beauty. Good garden design isn’t about filling every empty space. It’s about choosing plants that complement one another and take turns stealing the spotlight throughout the growing season.

A stone garden wall is bordered by colorful flowers, including pink, purple, and white blooms, with green bushes and trees in the background on a sunny day.

As we head into the second half of summer, I rounded up some of my favorite late summer flowers that keep the garden colorful when many spring and early summer bloomers have finished. If your borders are looking a little sparse right now, this is a great place to find inspiration.

Of course, all those blooms deserve to come indoors too! I also shared how I use flower frogs to create natural, garden-style arrangements that look beautiful without needing florist foam or complicated techniques.

And if you’d like a little garden inspiration, I took a look back at my 2025 summer gardens. It’s always fun to see how the gardens evolve from year to year, and I hope it gives you a few ideas for your own outdoor spaces.

Finally, zucchini season is in full swing! If you’re harvesting more zucchini than you know what to do with, don’t miss my easy zucchini bread and crispy keto-friendly zucchini fritters. They’re two of our favorite ways to enjoy this summer vegetable and are always a hit at our house.

A stack of five golden-brown zucchini fritters topped with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled with chopped green onions. More fritters are blurred in the background along with whole zucchinis placed nearby, all on a brown-rimmed plate.

This Week on YouTube

I shared two new videos this week that tackle one of the biggest challenges gardeners face this time of year: keeping the garden looking fresh through the heat of summer.

First, I talked about why so many gardens start looking tired in July and, more importantly, what you can do about it. From choosing long-blooming plants to refreshing containers and keeping up with simple maintenance, these are the strategies I use to keep my gardens colorful well beyond their June peak.

I also took you on a July tour of my Welcome Garden, where the cottage garden is reaching its peak summer beauty. Come along as I walk through what’s blooming now, share the plants putting on the best show, and talk about how this garden has evolved into one of my favorite spaces on the property.