Decorate The Table For Summer Dinner Parties

Fresh ideas from the garden set the table—and the scene for summer entertaining.

If you are planning a summer dinner party and want to decorate the table in a way that’s fresh and easy, here’s a spin on the current penchant for using formal table arrangements made of single flower variety in a single colour packed tightly into a vase.

To create a more informal summertime look, why not go the single colour route but mix things up a bit with a jumble of flower types, whatever is least expensive at the corner stores right now or in bloom in your garden. We jammed our flowers into a (glass-jar-lined) terracotta Long Tom pot.

To complete our table we used tiny Long Toms and painted their interiors the same colour as the flowers, applying two coats of quick drying semi-gloss latex for good coverage (the least expensive paint is perfect; plan to repaint the pots when you change the flower colour). Then just before dining, we turned on the twinkle lights and sprinkled flower petals around the table. —Brendan Power

Photo: Martin Tessler