Welcoming Summer With A Garden Tablescape

Hello sweet friends. Are you ready for the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer? It has definitely arrived in my Appalachian Foothills with heat, humidity, and very little rain. I can’t complain because spring was cool and damp.

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭34‬:‭8‬ ‭

I am excited to join nineteen creative table stylists for a Summer Tablescape Blog Hop hosted by my friend, Rita from Panoply. You will find all of the links at the bottom of this post.

Summer always arrives early in northeast Alabama, but its official arrival is Wednesday, June 21st. I am getting a head start by welcoming summer with a garden tablescape.

I love setting tables outdoors whether in the garden, by the woodlands, under the pergola, or on the Sunshine Cottage porch. Our weather normally allows three seasons for alfresco dining.

The Sunshine Cottage was conveniently built close to the garden table. I planned for ample storage of dishware, which makes it easier to set outdoor tables.

My inspiration for a tablescape can derive from many things…linens…dishes…flowers…collectibles…almost anything can spark inspiration for styling a table. I knew I wanted hydrangeas for the centerpiece and I love an excuse to visit my precious friend and her hydrangea farm. After hugs and a short visit we took a ride on her golf cart and I spotted these gorgeous pink hydrangeas. I knew they would be perfect! Hydrangea Arborescens ‘Invincibelle Spirit’ is a cultivar marketed as the first pink flowering hydrangea. The vase is actually an Arthur Court seeded glass canister (with a turkey lid not shown). It is one of a set of three gifted by a client almost twenty years ago. I checked online at Replacements Ltd., they had one in stock for $259.95!!!

You may have already noticed that the table is rather simple allowing the garden to be the star!

Iridescent stemware adds a little sparkle to the table! These Rachel Zoe wine glasses were purchased at TJ Maxx a few years ago.

From this angle, you get a peek into the cottage garden.

I have always loved April Cornell linens and have collected them for many years. With my love for English Country, AC’s floral patterns appeal to my design style. A romantic ‘cottage rose’ square breakfast cloth tops a pink ‘forget me not’ round tablecloth.

You will notice only a dinner and salad plate…no charger or dessert plate. The woven placemats add texture, which is an important element of tablescaping.

RM placed twinkling lights in the garden and replaces them as needed. It adds a beautiful ambiance for alfresco dining!

From the first time I saw the Williams Sonoma ‘Rose Famille’ collection, I was smitten. Last year I finally gave in and purchased dinner plates in blue. You can see how I used them in The Blessing of Easter (spring blog hop).

By changing linens and adding Stechol Gracie chintz salad plates, (a new purchase that I couldn’t resist) the tablescape looks entirely different than my Easter table. Tip: purchasing salad plates give you more styling options even with white everyday dinner plates. The bonus is salad plates are significantly lower in price and are easier to store.

As the sun begins to set, light changes quickly.

This is another view of the garden…

…and another with RM’s workshop in the background…

…and one more as twilight cast shadows over the garden. With this tablescape, I took a different approach by keeping the elements on the table simple, allowing the garden to be the star. Of course, the ‘Invincibelle Spirit’ hydrangeas are quite amazing!