(From upper L-R across & down: Scabiosa 'Perfect White', Heuchera 'Purple Palace', Double Wave Petunia, Skullcap Hyssop, Yellow Rose, Echinacea 'White Swan', Salvia 'Mystic Spires' and Knockout Roses)
Hi everyone, it’s the first Bloomin’ Tuesday of June and summer has arrived kicking and screaming. I had to run out and take these photos tonight before I forgot altogether. Tomorrow first thing I will be taking “Mooch” the cat to the vet for his 6 month checkup. Needless to say, it will be a busy morning with an unhappy pet. It’s been summertime weather here in Virginia with temps in the upper 80’s. Thankfully it should cool down a bit come Thursday with some chances for rain through the weekend. Hope everyone has a lovely week in the garden. To see more Bloomin’ Tuesday posts or to join in this week please visit Jean @ Ms Greenthumb. Happy Gardening! 🙂
Perennial Garden Lover 
Posted by Rose on June 1, 2009 at 11:08 pm
It definitely looks like summer at your house, Racquel! I do have some Knockout roses blooming, but not much else yet. Your vegetable garden is definitely way ahead of mine; I’m impressed you have squash blooms already.
It feels like it too Rose, lol. The Knockouts are great aren’t they, just keep on blooming from May through the first heavy frost here. Thanks, I’m thrilled with my baby squash forming. 🙂
Posted by Janet on June 1, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Could use some spring weather — kind of warm. Your roses look great….as do all the blooms.
Wouldn’t that be nice right now with temps in the 90’s! Thanks Janet. 🙂
Posted by cindee on June 2, 2009 at 12:15 am
Beautiful blooms!!!
Thanks Cindee! 😉
Posted by greenwalks on June 2, 2009 at 1:19 am
Hey, those are pretty strong colors for night photography! That’s dedication for sure. I’m intrigued by that hyssop, never seen one like that before. Looks almost like a kind of penstemon that I used to grow. Hope your kitty (and you) survive the vet visit. No fun!
Thanks Karen, I wasn’t sure how well they would turn out at the time. That Hyssop was picked up in the fall of 2007 at a Native Plant Sale. I lost the identitiy on it until this spring. 🙂 We survived the vet visit, but he wasn’t happy with me that’s for sure, lol.
Posted by Kathleen on June 2, 2009 at 1:53 am
It is summer there already Racquel ~ highs in the 80’s? Tomorrow our high temperature is forecasted to be 55 degrees. Brrr. I’m ready for a little heat wave. Good luck at the vet and your blooms are beauties (as always).
And today it hit the 90’s Kathleen, too hot for me! 😉 That is brrr cold for June, I’ll send you some of my heat okay. Thanks!
Posted by Aiyana on June 2, 2009 at 5:27 am
Nice after dark photos. I’ve had to do that a lot myself–but mostly because I have so many cactus that bloom after dark. Makes for a good background!
80 sounds cool to me!
Aiyana
Thanks Aiyana, yours turned out great too! 🙂 It really does make for a nice background, those striking colors. I bet 80 degrees does sound cool to you, today it hit the upper 90’s, yuck! 😉
Posted by Grammy on June 2, 2009 at 6:38 am
Your photos turned out great. I enjoyed your blooms. I did not know you were in VA. I was born in WV. And my daughter stayed in Kilmarnoc. VA with my sister in law for a bit. She loved it there. Have a great week.
Thanks Grammy! Yep I live in the Tidewater area of Virginia. Have a nice week yourself! 🙂
Posted by Darla on June 2, 2009 at 7:17 am
Yes mam, Summer has arrived, it’s been in the upper 90’s the last few days around here!! Your flowers are looking good girl!! Hope the kitty will be forgiving.
It has indeed Darla and today’s high of 92 is proof. Thanks! Yep the kitty is feeling a bit better towards me now that he’s been home for a few hours, lol. 😉
Posted by Marnie on June 2, 2009 at 8:32 am
I hope you kitty isn’t like mine, screaming all the way to the vet’s and back.
I’ve been researching hysopps to find either annuals or perennials that are hardy in my area. I’ll google skullcap, it looks like a nice one.
Marnie
Actually he’s pretty good in the car. We strap his travel box in the middle of the backseat so he can look out the front window & he’s happy about that. 😉 He just doesn’t like the vet poking & prodding him. This is actually a native that I picked up in the fall of 2007. It really is a nice plant. 🙂
Posted by Gail on June 2, 2009 at 9:53 am
Hi Racquel, Summer really has arrived~~with temperatures approaching the 90’s here! It’s amazing to see the changes in the garden as more summer bloomers appear each day… Your flowers for BT look wonderful. Good luck with your sweet kitty….gail
Hi Gail, yep summer has arrived kicking & screaming. I wasn’t quite ready for spring to be over yet. The garden changes so much at this time of the year with things constanting coming into bloom one wave after another. Thank you! 🙂
Posted by Carla on June 2, 2009 at 10:32 am
How pretty!! Loving the look of the blooms by flashlight!~!!! We are steaming up here too (after all it IS June:), and expecting a cool front Wed. before we return to the 90s. Have a wonderful week:)
Thanks Carla. It made for interesting photography that’s for sure. 🙂 Can’t wait for our cool front that is coming through on Thursday. 🙂
Posted by nhnursery on June 2, 2009 at 12:02 pm
The beds look great! Our roses are in full bloom along with iris and peonies. My favorite time of the year for cutting flowers for the house. My wife has full vases of cut flowers from her beds in almost every roomn of the house.
Thanks Jeff. You have some wonderful flowers blooming right now, the perfect cutting blooms. 🙂 My peonies & irises are long since spent. 😦 Your wife is a lucky woman, I bet the house smells heavenly!!!
Posted by Sherrie on June 2, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Hi!
All your flowers are beautiful!! I really like that rose though. Have a great day!!
Sherrie
Hi Sherrie, glad you stopped by today. Thank you so much, I love that yellow rose too. 🙂 Happy Bloomin’ Tuesday!
Posted by skeeter on June 2, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Ah, what color and yes, it is summer in Ga as well. 94 degrees yesterday and calling for more of the same today! But beautiful Blue skies are welcome after so much rain! Low humidity is nice as well but look out as the humidity will be here to stay soon…
Mooch is a great name for your kitty. 🙂 Good luck with the Vet visit. One of my two fur balls is not a good traveler so I dread the Vet visit even though only a few miles in the car. Enough to get her to scream with fear while the other cat wants to sniff the air vents and look out the window as if a dog!
I’m glad you are getting some much needed sunshine Skeeter after the onslaught of rain you’ve had this spring. It won’t be much longer until it is too humid to breathe here too. Thanks, He is a cat that showed up on our doorstep looking to mooch a free meal, lol. 😉 He travels well in his carrier, but is not happy once we arrive at the vets.
Posted by Jean on June 2, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Your blooms are really stunning with the black background! Lovin’ the yellow rose! My knock out has small buds. Great variety of blooms, thanks for posting! Jean
Why thank you Jean, I’m glad you enjoyed my nighttime photos today. 🙂
Posted by Balisha on June 2, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I love the black background on that rose picture. It really shows off the beauty of the rose.
Thank you Balisha, it turned out better than I expected. 🙂
Posted by Tracey on June 2, 2009 at 6:36 pm
I love the nighttime photos! The blooms really show off their color well. 🙂
Thanks Tracey. I didn’t expect these photos to turn out as well as they did. 🙂
Posted by Elena on June 2, 2009 at 6:36 pm
You did some very good night shots! You have a beautiful variety of flowers. Looks like your garden is doing great and headed for a great summer!
Thank you Elena. I’m glad you enjoyed my nightime photos of my garden blooms. It is really growing like crazy right now. 🙂
Posted by Linda at Meadowview Thymes on June 2, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Great blooms Racquel. It is getting close to 90 here, although I think we are getting a litte front tonight. I can tell it has gotten hotter-and so humid. My flowers seem rather droopy at the end of the day—just like the gardener! 🙂
Thanks Linda. We got a front coming through now with some thunderstorms and rain. It actually cooled things down a bit, not much but some. Yep I know what you mean, it’s too hot to be out there past 9 am now. Last night I went out there after 7:30 pm to do some deadheading & weeding. 🙂
Posted by Beckie on June 2, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Racquel, such a lot of pretty blooms. I love the rose especially. I haven’t tried the double wave petunias so will be watching yours to see how well they do. Great Blooming Tuesday!
Thanks Beckie. 🙂 Those double waves are actually in my grandmother’s hanging containers, but I think they are beautiful and she loves them.
Posted by Monica the Garden Faerie on June 3, 2009 at 8:47 am
It’s been cool, overcast, and rainy here. So thanks for the shot of blooms!
Which was perfect timing for your trip to the windy city. Thanks Monica! 🙂
Posted by Cameron (Defining Your Home Garden) on June 3, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Love the white scabiosa! Are you happy with the echinacea ‘White Swan’? I’m thinking of trying it from seed for next year.
Tina (In the Garden) is stopping by tomorrow morning! It will be fun to meet her.
The Musician and I will be going to Lynchburg in a few weeks — he’s playing for a charity at Appomattox. We’re taking Charm with us. Found a hotel that will allow her to stay. We want to swing by Jefferson’s Poplar Forest. Seen Monticello, but not the vacation place.
Later,
Cameron
Thanks Cameron, I added the Perfect White and Yellow Sun this spring along with Butterfly Blue & Pink Mist. It was a collection purchase. 🙂 Actually I’m quite happy with the Echinacea ‘White Swan’. I tried it in the past with little success but it seems to be doing well in the border bed which gets quite neglected in the summer months, lol. So the moral of the story is sometimes pampering a plant kills it? 😉 Hope you have a wonderful time with Tina, she’s such a sweetie. She told me she was meeting you and I told her to give you a hug from me, if that’s okay. Sounds like a wonderful trip you & the Musician will be taking. I’ve been wanting to visit Monticello for sometime, hubby keeps mentioning it but always something going one here that delays the trip.
Posted by ~~Rhonda on June 3, 2009 at 7:32 pm
I like your collection of photos. Very pretty with the dark backgrounds. 🙂 Love those knockout roses. Real performers. ~~Rhonda
Thank you Rhonda. I’m glad you enjoyed my nighttime photos. 🙂 The Knockouts really are troopers in my garden from May – December.