How to Make a Tulip and Mint Tabletop

Happy May Day, Friends!

I love gathering people around the table and feeding them.

Sometimes we gather casually in our back seating area under our covered patio, especially this time of year, for appetizers and wine. I love the conversation, the flavors and smells of the food, the stories being told.

Serving appetizers seems to happen in the course of “small talk.” Catching up, what’s new since we’ve last seen our guests, how are the kids, etc. We seem to jump from one conversation to another, as everyone is excited to see each other.

Then on to the dinner table and out come the bigger stories – sometimes reminiscing, or talking about future plans, goals, dreams, places we’ve been and where we want to go. I find now that our kids are getting older, we seem to talk a lot about them and where they are at in life.

The table is one piece of furniture that I’d be really sad without it. Because when else do you sit in a circle, rectangle, or square – looking across at each other for hours?

Sometimes I have time to make a pretty tabletop and sometimes not. It really depends on the flow of my day. Obviously, the more time I have, the more creative I can be.

Last week I had 2 things that were in ultra-bloom-mode in my yard. The mint is going crazy (watch out – it spreads like wildfire) and the tulips are popping up everywhere. Red, yellow, pink, fuscia, white … and a mix like these candy cane colored tulips. My favorite!

How to make a Tulip and Mint Tabletop

1. Round up a vessel, container, or low-line vase and fill with water.

2. Cut handfuls of fresh mint – the more you stuff in the container, the better.

3. Snip your favorite colored tulips, leaving about 3 inches of stem.

4. Place the tulips strategically in between the mint.

RE TIP: Remember if it’s a hot day, add a few ice cubes to your container to keep the water nice and cold.

Back to my guests and the table. I know that even without a pretty tabletop, the food will taste just as good, the conversation will still flow, and other areas of the yard bring a nice air of ambience to the party. So simple is good, and even candles work just fine when I don’t have flowers.

But if I have the chance to make something pretty, I usually make it a priority to grace my table or entertaining area with something beautiful from my yard.

For a spring tabletop where you live, what is your favorite flower or greenery to include?