As the days start to get warmer, the more you want to spend time outside—and that goes for entertaining, too. Whether you have a rambling backyard or a tiny terrace, there’s no reason you can’t host a garden get-together. RL Magazine got the dirt from renowned green thumbs Carolyne Roehme, Michael George, Meredith Waga Perez, and Suzy Bales on how to create a festive atmosphere in your personal great outdoors.
Planting the seed
“The single most important aspect of planning a garden party is to plan it for when your garden is at its peak. The whole point is to celebrate the spectacular moments in your garden,” says Carolyne Roehm, author of Passion for Parties. “Flowers elevate people’s moods, fragrant flowers even more so,” agrees Suzy Bales, author of ten gardening books, including Garden Parties. “If you plan your parties around when you have flowers blooming in the garden, it makes it memorable.” The flowers that signify spring are daffodils, peonies, tulips, hyacinths, lilacs, cherry blossoms, and irises. “Bulbs, such as hyacinths, daffodils and tulips, should be planted in the autumn season, while annuals, such as begonias and pansies, should be planted one to two weeks before Mother’s Day,” says Meredith Waga Perez, co-owner of Belle Fleur in New York City, who suggests planning your garden party between May 15 and June 30. “But if your seed hopes do not come to fruition, you can always put flowering plants in pots and cluster them around the garden and table setting to give the illusion of a lush environment.”
Be our guest
As with any party, a garden party is about making your guests feel special. And that can start even before they arrive. Perez suggests misting invitations with a perfume that is reminiscent of flowers and foliage, with notes of either lavender, citrus, or rose. Bales likes to put a few flower petals in the invitation. “It lets the guest know something special is planned,” she says. To make her guests as comfortable as possible, Perez fills a woven hamper with a handful of neatly folded shawls in the event that anyone should feel a chill in the air. And as for parting gifts, Bales likes to set a vase of flowers at everyone’s place for them to take home. “A nosegay of flowers can be hung on the back of each guest’s chair,” she says. Perez suggests filling a monogrammed canvas tote with goodies. “Pack it with gardening tools, preserves (jam and honey), a special book (such as The Meaning of Flowers), or a small wooden box of tomatoes on the vine,” she says. “Most important, there should be a handwritten note from the hostess thanking the guest for coming to the garden party—the most memorable and inspiring parties are the ones that are not only detail oriented but personalized and gracious.”
Make arrangements
Beautiful, seasonal floral arrangements should be present at every garden party. For this, Perez suggests hiring an experienced floral designer or asking a creative friend for help. “All the flowers throughout the garden and on the table should be fresh, bountiful, and colorful. Avoid using any tropical flowers. Incorporate only the flowers that would actually grow from your garden,” she says. “The most adored flower for women is definitely the peony. Try your best to incorporate them into your table design.” Creativity is appreciated when displaying your blooms. “I love to hang a basket of flowers as if it was a chandelier from a tree branch over the center of a table,” says Bales. “I stick candles in the basket to light after dark.”
Have a seat
Choosing where you place the table is key. “The most important thing is the view,” says Michael George, famed New York City florist and artistic director of FlowerSchool New York. “In landscape we look for ‘stolen views,’ like a huge maple or sycamore tree on the neighbor’s property.” When it comes to the table itself, George loves hemstitch white linen as a tablecloth. The table setting should pay homage to the atmosphere. Perez likes to use a fresh flat of green grass, perfectly and evenly hedged, in lieu of a runner. “Remove small flowering plants such as violet and primrose from their pots and nestle them into the grass,” she suggests.
Earthly delights
As for the food, use ingredients that came from your garden—or at least look like they did. Perez likes to serve green salads made from locally grown produce with a light scattering of edible flowers, small tea sandwiches infused with fresh herbs, and sparkling lemonade with fresh mint. For dessert, she does a colorful presentation of mixed berries with crème fraîche, and sorbet in wafer cones. Bales also likes to use edible flowers atop creamy watercress soup, on chocolate cake, and in ice cubes.
A recipe for frozen flowers and ice cubes
First wash the edible flowers with lukewarm water and place each blossom in an individual ice cube compartment that is half full of water. Flowers float, so if you fill the compartment to the top, that’s where your blossom will appear. To get it in the middle of the cube, the flower has to be frozen first in the half-filled tray, then, an hour or more later, add water to form the top half of the cube. Use distilled water, which makes the clearest cubes. If you use tap water, the cubes may be cloudy when they’re removed from the tray, but when added to drinks they clear up nicely.
Photo Credits:
1, 2. Michael Luppino
3, 4. Brie Williams
5. Lisa George
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