Making your garden party a unique event can seem like an insurmountable task, but the key is to take your cue from your environment. For example, let's have a look at hosting a garden party.

First of all, you need to review the materials you have to hand and the most important of these for a garden party is your garden itself. Do you have a lush lawn, or a classy courtyard? This will not only help you to determine whether to have a standing-room-only event, a sit-down garden tea or a picnic; it can give you a base from which to build your menu.

Next, examine the plants in your garden, paying particular attention to the flowers. Note their shapes, colors and scents. Working these into your menu can be the difference between a smooth and elegant garden party and an out-of-control disaster.

Once you have a list of the various elements of your garden, you can begin to plan your menu. If you have a garden that is lush and full of scents, you have a sensory advantage that you can use; plan drinks that are refreshing but not too powerful, such as gin-and-tonic, or lightly flavored iced tea, and foods that are delicately flavored rather than rich. Some options include cream cheese and carrot sandwiches, vanilla cupcakes with a light icing, and shaved ices with a light dash of lime cordial. The traditional British party snack, the cucumber sandwich, is another wonderful snack when you want the setting to speak for itself.

If your garden has few heavy scents of its own, you can use your food and drinks to enrich the experience. Choose richer flavors for your foods: moist chocolate cake with chocolate icing or banana cake for sweet snacks, and quiches or chicken salad sandwiches for savories.

One unique advantage you have in planning a garden party is the beauty of nature so use it! Use the colors and shapes of the plants in your garden to inspire you when choosing paper napkins, plates and cups. Reflect the colors of your garden in the colors of the drinks you serve: pink and orange flowers can be reflected by making a watermelon or orange punch. This doesn't have to be alcoholic or heavily sweetened: simply add the fruit to equal measures of soda water and juice for a light, refreshing drink.

Use the garden party plan below for inspiration when planning your own event. Don't forget to take a good, objective look at the environment you plan to use for your party: you may be surprised at the resources you already have!

Garden scenery: large pink and orange flowers, glossy green leaves. Not too much scent in the garden, although there is a hint of fresh-cut grass.

Menu food:
Savoury: cream cheese, tomato and carrot on pumpernickel bread, cut into rounds; ham sandwiches, cut into points; cream cheese and chive sandwiches, cut into points; cold sausage rolls
Sweet: Carrot cake, cut into a leaf shape; cherry cupcakes with pink icing and orange decorations; orange-and-poppyseed cupcakes with orange icing and pink decorations; lemon slice; watermelon and rock-melon drizzled with vodka and watermelon juice as a fruit salad; hollowed-out oranges filled with orange sorbet.

Drinks: Champagne-watermelon cocktail; strawberry-and-orange punch with soda water and white wine; iced lemon drink with mint.

Arrange on pink/orange paper plates, using pink or orange paper napkins and a white, or orange tablecloth. Plain servers and glasses. Use leaves, flowers and pink or orange cocktail umbrellas for decoration.

Learn more about this author, Clare Callow.
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