Outdoor Entertaining Tips & Ideas

landscape project by Crimson Valley

Summer is great for outdoor get-togethers and barbeques. This is the perfect opportunity to show off your landscape. Throwing a party doesn’t have to be expensive; whether it’s enjoying the outdoors with cheese and wine, a barbeque or a potluck. Set the scene with cut flower arrangements from your garden and great lighting; provide guests with plenty of seating, cool drinks and an opportunity to get out of the hot sun. Plan your party, prepare yourself in advance and do take the offer to help when your first few guests arrive. Remember, this low-key event is for you to enjoy as well.

Arrange for plenty of seating based on the number of guests and create destinations throughout the landscape for people to roam and mingle. Placing tables with snacks, desserts and drinks throughout the space will keep people out and enjoying the landscape. Do keep multiple stations for drinks available for guests. Planters and galvanized tubs work great for large ice bins to keep drinks cool. Separate drinks by type, so people don’t have to fish around for what they want. Beer, wine, water, soda… you get the idea. Set up glasses, a towel and a bottle opener nearby for their convenience. If you offer mixed drinks at your party, set up a bar area fully stocked with liquor, mixers, garnishes, glasses, napkins and ice.

Create beautiful arrangements or centerpieces by cutting flowers, foliage and branches from the plants in your garden. Place your bouquets in empty aluminum cans or mason jars, which are great for candles too. Even, place flowering or interesting branches on tables for centerpieces. Either option is an excellent way to use what you have at home to create one-of-a-kind arrangements. Not enough coordinating flowers in your yard; pick up a grocery store floral arrangement. Split up the bouquet and add a few of your own garden highlights to make a few smaller arrangements to place on the tables. Learn more about cutting gardens and the types of plant material that are great to use.

Serve your meals on enamel or melamine plates; enamelware and plastic dinnerware are very durable and will not break, scratch or chip, perfect for the crowd and movement. Alternatively, consider biodegradable and compostable plates that you can throw into your home compost bin at the end of the event. Use acrylic containers that serve on ice, great for serving food items that need to keep cold. Look for acrylic containers that serve on ice and have lids then you have got it made; keep the food cold and the bugs out! Another great way to keep bugs away from the food serving area is to have fans oscillating nearby. The windy current will keep the bugs at bay.

Landscape lighting is a great way to keep entertaining your guests as the sunlight diminishes. Not only is it extremely beautiful, it is a safe way to guide you and your guests through the landscape. Use a combination of low-voltage outdoor lights, candles and lanterns. If the mosquitoes are a nuisance, consider lighting tiki torches and citronella candles.  As nightfall begins, light a fire in an outdoor fire pit, portable fire pits are available in a number of different styles or have Crimson Valley build a fire pit permanently into your landscape. Fire features are great for a relaxing evening for two or as an entertaining space to gather around.

If it is extremely hot and you are having a daytime party, provide shade with outdoor umbrellas and awnings. For a more permanent structure, consider a pergola and shade trees. Pergolas will provide great shade with proper placement and installation. If you have large, shade trees in your landscape, place outdoor seating under them for a cool place to dine or relax. On the other hand, if you do not have shade trees in your landscape they are a great investment for the future considering the time needed to grow and establish. Clean up the garage and open it up for a great space to get out of the heat. That will also be a great back up plan for the potential summer showers.

We hope you have found these little tips useful for your next outdoor get together. Contact Crimson Valley for a landscape consultation, we will discuss what important details you would like to see in your landscape. We will take all the information back and produce a landscape design with the perfect entertaining spaces and continuous seasonal plant interest. We look forward to working with you to give you the landscape you’ve always dreamed of having.