Summer table decorations from the garden the loveliest summer is already on your doorstep

Why the loveliest decoration already grows outside and not in a shop

I tried it the other way round for a long time, I'll happily admit. There was a phase when I wanted my table to look like something out of a magazine: bought arrangements, coordinated colours, everything neatly symmetrical. And do you know what? It never felt warm. Pretty, yes – but with no story. The turning point came on one of those close, sultry June evenings when friends dropped by on the spur of the moment and I had nothing “proper” to decorate with. Out of sheer necessity I went into the garden, cut whatever happened to be in flower, added a few herbs, and put it all in the jars I could find. An hour later we were sitting outside, laughing, candles flickering, mint drifting in the water. And a friend said the very thing Granny would have said: “It's always so cosy at yours.” That's when I understood: it was never about the expensive decorations, but about the things that were real.

What I gather for a table from the garden four things, no more

The lovely thing about summer table decorations from the garden is that there's no shopping list. You take whatever happens to be there – and that's exactly what makes every table one of a kind. On my wander round the garden I almost always end up with four things. Summer flowers that aren't too well-behaved – cornflowers, yarrow, cosmos, daisies and a few grasses in between. The wilder the mix, the more alive it looks. Herbs, because they don't just look pretty, they're fragrant: mint, sage, a sprig of rosemary or the first spires of lavender – brush the glass gently and the whole table smells of summer. Sprigs of berries and little fruits – redcurrants on the stem, a halved fig, a handful of raspberries in a shallow bowl. And greenery and twigs – a few trails of ivy, eucalyptus, or simply a long frond from the shrub that runs loosely across the table. It needs no more than that. It really doesn't.

My tip: Cut flowers and herbs in the morning or late in the evening, when it's cool, and put them straight into water. Let them have a good drink in a shady spot for a few hours before they come to the table – then they'll stay fresh all evening, even in the summer heat.

My favourite ways to arrange it lots of little jars rather than one big display

My most important trick is also the simplest: lots of little jars rather than one big arrangement. I collect empty jam jars all year round, old mustard glasses and a chipped enamel jug of Granny's that I wouldn't part with for anything in the world. Each one holds just a single kind – a little posy of mint here, three cornflowers there. Dotted along the table they make a loose line, as though summer had simply drifted in. When I fancy something fuller, I lay a runner of real greenery: a length of ivy, eucalyptus or soft grasses running loosely down the middle of the table, tea lights in little glasses dotted between, and a few berries scattered about. It looks elaborate and takes ten minutes to do. For the napkins I have a favourite: a single sprig of herbs tied with a length of baker's twine – rosemary, sage or lavender. Each guest gets a little piece of the garden in their hand and, more often than not, takes it home at the end of the evening. It's these small gestures that stay with people – far more than any flawless tablescape.

Summer table decorations in country style why they go so well with garden finds

For me, summer table decorations from the garden and the country style belong together inseparably. Both live on the same things: on naturalness, on a touch of patina, and on the calm that comes when not everything has to be perfect. So the laid summer table slips quite naturally into the rest of your country-style summer décor. My country-style table almost always has a crumpled linen runner in natural white or soft sage as its base – unironed, with gentle creases, just the way linen falls. On top of that goes simple crockery in cream, white or muted sage; I love plain stoneware far more than anything glossy. If you enjoy working with fabrics, light linen napkins are lovely with it – there's more on that material in my piece on linen fabrics in country style.

The wildflowers and herbs from the garden are then the heart of it all, and this is exactly where the country character shows: a few crooked stems of yarrow and lady's mantle rather than a styled-up arrangement. A little of the south is welcome too – a sprig of lavender or rosemary links the country table quite naturally to the Mediterranean terrace when you're laying up outside. And the loveliest part: this style works on the big table just as well as on a small terrace. It's never about the size, but about the feeling – warm, honest, and a little as though summer had laid the table itself.

The most common mistake and how to avoid it

I've made it often enough myself: wanting too much. Too many kinds, too many colours, every jar different. In the end my table looked like a florist's just before closing time – not like a summer evening in the garden. The solution is always the same, and it's wonderfully simple: fewer kinds, but more of each. Better three kinds of wildflower in the same colour family than ten mixed at random. Better one continuous shade of green than five different ones. And do leave gaps – a summer table is allowed to breathe. In the end, that restraint is what makes the difference between “nicely decorated” and “I'd happily stay sitting here.”

What's always on my summer table my five favourites

Whenever I'm asked what makes summer table decorations from the garden, it's always the same five things for me.

1 · Jam jars in every size – the heart of my table, collected all year round.
2 · A wild mix of summer flowers – cornflowers, yarrow, cosmos; the looser, the better.
3 · Fresh herbs – mint, lavender, rosemary, for fragrance and to dress the napkins.
4 · A piece of linen – as a runner or cloth, crumpled and unironed.
5 · Lots of little candles – for the moment the sun goes down.

When the sun goes down light is everything

By day, a summer garden table lives on its greenery and its colours. But the real magic happens as dusk falls. That's when I bring out the candles – lots of little ones, ideally, at different heights, some in glasses, some in old teacups. Warm, flickering light turns even the most thrown-together decoration into something magical. At mine, the lanterns then wander into the beds along the edge, so the whole garden glows quietly along. And into a big carafe I put lemon slices, mint and ice – it sweats so prettily in the warm evening air and is drink and decoration in one. If you fancy it more romantic still, hang a string of lights above the table; just how much that changes an evening I describe in my pieces on a cosy summer lifestyle and romantic summer evenings.

What it's really about a question of attitude

In the end, summer table decorations from the garden aren't a question of style but of attitude. It's the decision to take the time, to step outside, to cut something that will already have faded by tomorrow – and to find it beautiful for this one evening precisely because of that. Granny has been gone for many years now. But every time I put a crooked little posy of lady's mantle into a jam jar, she's sitting beside me again under the apple tree. “Look at that,” I hear her say. “It doesn't get lovelier than this.” And she's right. It really doesn't.

Frequently asked questions answered simply & clearly

How do you decorate a summer table with things from the garden?

With wildflowers such as cornflowers and yarrow, herbs like mint and lavender, sprigs of berries and a little greenery – loosely arranged in small jam jars, with plenty of candles once evening falls.

Which flowers are best for summer table decorations?

A wild mix of summer flowers looks most natural: cornflowers, cosmos, yarrow, daisies and a few grasses. The looser the posy, the more summery the table.

How can you decorate a table without spending much?

You needn't buy a thing: collected jam jars, wildflowers and herbs from the garden, a piece of linen as a runner and a handful of tea lights. That alone makes a full summer table for next to nothing.

How do you keep garden table decorations fresh for longer?

Cut everything early in the morning or late in the evening, pop it straight into water and let it have a long drink somewhere cool. Herbs and firm blooms last the longest.

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