Welcome To This Week’s Saltwater Sounds…

A collection of ideas, tips, and inspiration. Here, I share everything happening in the world of Shiplap and Shells, what to look forward to on the blog, and the inspiration I’ve found throughout the week.

This Week at a Glance

There are mornings in the garden that remind you why you do all of this.

This was one of those weeks.

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. My blog also contains other affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

A Morning in the Garden

Cutting flowers in the cottage garden with dogs Jax and Ollie nearby on a summer morning

I headed out early one morning with my basket and clippers, and of course Jax and Ollie followed along. They always do.

Ollie the dog exploring the cut flower garden at a 1920 beach cottage on Puget Sound

Jax supervises from nearby, and Ollie wanders around being Ollie, sniffing everything within reach and looking very important about it.

Bundles of dried yarrow, statice, celosia, and strawflower hanging in a cottage pantry

I cut yarrow, statice, celosia, and strawflower to hang in the pantry and dry. It’s that part of late summer that feels like putting something away for later for the quieter months ahead.

A few bundles hanging in the pantry are one of my favorite things to look at right now.

Summer vegetable and flower harvest from a Pacific Northwest cottage garden

I also harvested some vegetables while I was out there.

Fresh cut flowers in vases from a Pacific Northwest cottage cut flower garden

There’s something so gratifying about a morning like this.

Colorful summer cut flowers in vases harvested from a cottage garden on Puget Sound

The garden is still cool, the dogs are nearby, and the basket is filling up with things I grew. It doesn’t get much better.

Let’s Plan Your Dream Garden With Our

Gardening Planner

Unlock Your Garden’s Potential.

Our 35-page Ultimate Garden Planner is designed to help you organize, track, and flourish in your gardening endeavors.

Get yours for $4.99

Learn More

In the Garden

Cottage Garden

A 1920 beach cottage surrounded by a lush summer garden on Puget Sound

The daisies are gone.

Summer cottage garden in full bloom alongside a 1920 beach cottage in the Pacific Northwest

I cut them all back last week, and the garden already looks different for it, a little more like August making its way for something new.

Late summer cottage garden with perennials and annuals in bloom in the Pacific Northwest

We’ve put in a lot of hours this week deadheading and cutting back spent perennials.

Cottage greenhouse and summer garden view at a Pacific Northwest beach cottage

It’s one of those August tasks that feel endless and satisfying at the same time.

lush summer cottage garden in August on Puget Sound

I filled the compost pile faster than I expected, which probably shouldn’t have surprised me.

Cottage greenhouse and house surrounded by a full summer garden in the Pacific Northwest

The garden in August grows as fast as it fades, and keeping up with it is a full-time job.

Red mums blooming in a Pacific Northwest cottage garden in late summer

The mums are here, making everything feel like the season is turning, even when you’re not quite ready for it.

Sedum Autumn Joy deepening in color in a late summer Pacific Northwest cottage garden

The sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ is deepening in color.

Bright yellow black-eyed Susans blooming in front of a white picket fence in a cottage garden

The black-eyed Susans give the biggest pop of color to the entire garden.

Cream panicle hydrangeas transitioning to the first blush of pink in a Pacific Northwest cottage garden

The cream panicle hydrangeas are beautiful right now. That soft transition from white to the first blush of pink is what I wait for. Soon. I’ll be bringing them inside to dry for the fall and holiday seasons.

Purple coneflowers and blazing star growing together as pollinator plants in a cottage garden

The purple coneflower and blazing star together are one of my favorite combinations in the whole garden this time of year. If you’re looking for bumblebees and butterflies, you’ll find them among these pollinator favorites.

Lavender, black-eyed Susans, and sedum Autumn Joy growing together in a late summer cottage garden

The lavender looks so pretty alongside the black-eyed Susans and the sedum. This little grouping is a corner of the garden I always stop to look at.

Cut Flower Garden

The cut flower garden is full of pastel and fireball zinnias.

Pastel colored zinnias in shades of blush and cream growing in a cottage cut flower garden

Delicate pastel zinnia blooms in a late summer Pacific Northwest cut flower garden

Bold Fireball zinnias in rich orange and red blooming in a Pacific Northwest cut flower garden

Fireball zinnias in vivid orange growing in a cottage cut flower garden in August

dusty rose celosia growing in a Pacific Northwest cottage cut flower garden

Gold and dusty rose celosia.

Orange and yellow marigolds blooming in a Pacific Northwest cottage garden in late summer

And marigolds in orange and yellow.

LET’S GO SHOPPING FOR

Garden Supplies and Tools

Check out my favorite garden supplies and tools for the growing season. Whether you’re looking for potting soil or deer repellent, you’ll find what I use in my own garden.

SHOP HERE

The Dahlia Design Summit

Dahlia Design Summit promotional graphic — a virtual summit September 13 through 18, 2026 featuring farmer florists floral designers and floral photographers teaching how to design arrange and photograph dahlias

I shared the Dahlia Design Summit with you last week, and a few of you reached out with questions, so I wanted to bring it up again.

Dahlia Design Summit graphic with colorful dahlia bouquet and text reading You Grow Beautiful Dahlias — Imagine what you could create with them

Here’s the simple version: if you grow dahlias and you’ve ever stood in the garden with an armful of gorgeous flowers and thought “now what do I do with these”, this summit was made for you.

Dahlia Design Summit graphic with text reading Watch on Your Own Time with live Q&A panels every evening — created for dahlia growers of any scale from 12 plants to 1200

It’s a five-day virtual event running September 13 through 18, with farmer florists, floral designers, and floral photographers all teaching you how to design, arrange, and photograph the dahlias you grow. You watch on your own time, and there are live Q&A panels every evening so you can ask questions in real time.

Whether you grow 12 plants or 1,200, it was built for growers at every scale.

Dahlia Design Summit graphic listing summit outcomes — arrange with confidence put colors together that work take photos that do your dahlias justice and create a recognizable personal style

By the end, you’ll be able to arrange with more confidence, put colors together that actually work, take photos that do your flowers justice, and start developing a look that feels like yours.

I can’t wait to learn more from all of these fabulous experts!

GRAB YOUR SEAT NOW

This is an affiliate link.

Around the Cottage

Fresh cut flowers from a Pacific Northwest cottage garden arranged for display indoors

I haven’t shared the inside of the cottage for so long. All garden and boating, all summer… which felt right, but the house has plenty to share as well.

Next week I’m sharing the living room and kitchen. I haven’t decorated for fall yet. I’m trying to hold onto summer indoors a little longer. There’s still too much color outside to start pulling it in yet.