Bricks 'n Blooms Weekly 295

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Hi there!

I hope you had an amazing week!

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Behind the Scenes at Bricks ‘n Blooms

What a week! Between the garden, family visiting, a wedding, and a little time on the golf course, there was a lot happening around here.

In the garden, I kept things pretty simple with some late-summer maintenance. I deadheaded, fed my annuals with bloom booster, and continued cleaning up the zinnias that have been struggling with leaf spot. I also treated them again with copper fungicide and have been keeping a close eye on how they’re doing.

Also…check out my lisianthus! If at first you don’t succeed…try and try again! I did not love starting lisianthus from seed but 10000% found success growing them from plugs. Because I wanted to go small scale on how much I grew since I hadn’t grown them before, I bought 12 of each variety and next year…I will go all in. These are from Burpee.

A hand holds a bouquet of pink and peach lisianthus flowers in a sunlit garden filled with purple blooms and greenery. A wooden garden structure is visible in the background under a clear blue sky.

But the highlight of the garden this week was definitely cutting flowers for my niece’s wedding!

I started by making a test bouquet, then went back into the cutting garden and made more than 20 arrangements for the cocktail tables. I used zinnias, gomphrena, dahlias, strawflowers, China asters, and lots of other flowers that are blooming right now. After spending all season growing them, it was pretty special to see so many of those flowers heading to such a meaningful celebration. I added flower food to the water to help keep everything looking fresh for the big day, too.

A close-up of a floral arrangement with purple and white dahlias, purple asters, and greenery in a cream-colored vase on an outdoor table, with a blurred garden background.

I’m also gearing up for another round of planting. I’ve got new perennials, hydrangeas, and a redbud waiting to go into the ground next week. Everything arrived safe and sound, so for now, my main job is keeping them hydrated until I’m ready to plant.

Outside the garden, we’ve had a full house with family staying here for a few days. We also took another yacht cruise around Manhattan with everyone to celebrate my niece and her fiancé before their wedding. The views were incredible, and it was such a fun way to spend time together before the big day.

Three women sit barefoot on a boat at sunset, smiling and holding drinks. Other people stand in the background, and the sky is partly cloudy with the sun low on the horizon.

The New York City skyline is pictured at sunset, with vivid pink and orange clouds above and the city’s buildings silhouetted against the colorful sky, reflected in the water below.

Nighttime cityscape with illuminated skyscrapers reflecting on the water, featuring a tall building in the center with a lit spire against a dark, clear sky.

The Statue of Liberty illuminated at dusk, standing on Liberty Island with a boat passing by and water reflecting the statue’s light.

And then came the wedding! They were married yesterday at The Madison Hotel, and it was such a beautiful celebration. My niece looked gorgeous, the ceremony was beautiful, and we had the best time celebrating them. We’re also so happy to officially welcome her new husband into our family. I haven’t even had a chance to go through all the photos yet, so I’ll share more from the wedding next week.

And somehow, amid all of that, I squeezed in some golf and played my best round of the summer so far! I’ve been working at it quite a bit this season, so it felt really good to see that progress.

It was one of those weeks that felt full in all the best ways. Flowers, family, celebrations, and plenty of time spent enjoying the last stretch of summer.

A person wearing a black cap and floral top prepares to hit a golf ball on a sunny golf course, with sand bunkers and trees in the background under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

Seasonal Essentials

Just ordered more copper fungicide as I’ll need to reapply in another week.
Love this gingham blanket for my sunroom for fall
I’m also considering this sideboard cabinet for behind my sofa in the family room.
Love this vintage botanical wall art and am thinking of adding it above my bed.

From the Week

In the Garden This Week

Late summer is one of my favorite times to really look at the garden. By now, you can see which plants carried their weight, which ones struggled, and what you might want to change next year. This week was a little bit of all three, plus a few ways to enjoy what the garden is giving us right now.

What Worked…and What Didn’t

After watching my gardens perform all season, there are some flowers that have absolutely earned a spot again next year. I’m sharing 11 flowers I’ll absolutely plant again, including the ones that kept blooming, filled in beautifully, and made my gardens look good without a ton of fuss.

But then there are my zinnias.

I love them, but after dealing with leaf spot this summer, I’ve made the decision that I’m not planting zinnias in this spot again next year. I’m taking you into the garden to show you what happened, what I think contributed to the problem, and what I’m changing going forward.

A colorful garden with blooming flowers including pink, purple, orange, and yellow varieties. Green shrubs and a small wooden trellis are visible, with tall trees in the background.

Saving Some of Summer

While I’m already thinking ahead to next year, I’m definitely not ready to let go of this season yet!

My hydrangeas are beginning to take on those gorgeous late-summer colors, which means it’s time to start cutting some for drying. I shared four easy ways to dry hydrangeas, plus another guide that walks you through how I preserve them for arrangements and decorating around my home.

Clusters of pale green hydrangeas bloom in a garden near a green fence, surrounded by lush green foliage and other colorful flowers on a bright day.

Enjoying Every Last Bit of Summer

And because late summer isn’t just about what’s happening in the flower beds, I’m soaking up peach season too!

I set a colorful peach-inspired summer table using flowers cut from the garden, and I’m sharing a few of my favorite peach recipes, including my easy peach burrata and grilled chicken with peach avocado salsa.