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Come to Tea: An Elegant Garden
Gathering
by Debbie Rodgers
Perhaps nothing says "garden party" like having afternoon tea outdoors.
It's a charming reminder of bygone days and childhood make-believe.
Outdoor spaces of all kinds, including balconies, can be successfully
adapted to a tea party.
Tea parties span generations and will be enjoyed by your most
sophisticated women friends or all the giggling little girls of your
acquaintance.
What makes an elegant tea party? Look at these factors.
Flowers
Plan to hold your tea party when your garden is in its fullest bloom -
perhaps it's lilac time, June roses, or peony season. Be sure to cut
some of the blooms for the tea table vases. If you don't have a garden,
buy an armful of flowers at a farmers' market or stop by a country ditch
and pick bunches of wild daisies and Queen Anne's lace.
Invitations
Send handwritten notes by snail mail. Your guests will recognize your
party as an elegant affair and dress accordingly! Typically, tea is held
around 4 p.m. - perfect for day-blooming flowers. Include an invitation
for the little ones to bring along a doll or teddy friend.
Table Setting
The more elegant, the better. Stash the paper table covering and the
plastic glasses just for today. Instead, use a crisp linen tablecloth,
pressed cloth napkins and your best bone china cups and saucers. If it's
a little girls' party, you might want to invest in two or three
miniature tea sets.
Try to have adequate seating for everyone. Consider setting your
straight-back indoor dining chairs outdoors. They can add an elegant
touch, whether left unadorned or covered with flowered chintz.
Hats
Encourage all of your guests to wear hats - big-brimmed, floppy and
flowered. If the party is for little girls, collect old hats, scarves
and silk flowers at a thrift shop, yard sale or discount store. Make
decorating the hats a fun activity at the party. You can also include a
box of flowery cast-offs for dressing up. Include "grown-up" shoes and
old jewelry - anything that will make the little ones feel elegant. Tea
time is a fun way to introduce young ones to "elegant party" manners.
Food
Other than teaspoons, no cutlery should be required at tea. All
sandwiches and sweets should be dainty finger-food. Try sandwiches of
watercress, cucumber, or egg with the crusts removed and cut in
quarters. Sugar cookies and petit fours are traditional sweets. You can
substitute mini-cupcakes or tiny tarts.
Tea
One of the first things that I learned in seventh grade home economics
class was how to brew a proper pot of hot tea, but that was many years
ago. I suspect that tea-making is becoming a lost art.
Tea is actually the common name of one plant: Camillia sinesis. The
three basic types of tea - black, green and oolong - are distinguished
by the amount of oxidization that the tea leaves have undergone. The
more than 3,000 varieties of tea in the world are all derived from those
three basic types.
Herbal teas - more properly, tisane or infusion - are made from a wide
variety of flowers, herbs, barks, berries, fruits and spices.
At a minimum, offer your guests a traditional tea and a caffeine-free
herbal choice. Have milk (not cream!), sugar and fresh lemon wedges
available.
So, dust off your teacups and your manners and sit down with your
girlfriends for a proper tea party. It's a lovely summer interlude!
About the author
Debbie Rodgers, the haven maven, owns and operates Paradise Porch, and
is dedicated to helping people create outdoor living spaces that nurture
and enrich them. Her latest how-to guide "Attracting Butterflies to Your
Home and Garden" is now available on her web site. Visit her at
www.paradiseporch.com and get
a free report on "Eight easy ways to create privacy in your outdoor
space". |
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