How To Create a Beautiful Fall Garden Party Tablescape

We’re hosting a garden party, and you’re invited! It’s tablescape day for my monthly dinner club group. This month we’re celebrating the anticipation of fall, and I can’t wait to show you how to create a beautiful fall garden party tablescape.


If you’re coming over from Stacy at Bricks N Blooms, welcome! I’m so glad you are here!

Her table was beautiful! Weren’t those flowers so fabulous??

Also, I want to welcome Shannon from My Little White Barn as our guest host this month!

Shannon is incredibly talented and shared a beautiful and creative tablescape.

what makes a great tablescape?

thanksgiving tablescape with cornstalks down center of table white plates with white pumpkins plaid napkin tied in knot beside plates

A great tablescape isn’t just pretty to look at. It welcomes your guests and creates the atmosphere for your party.

Even if it isn’t a large group or a special event or occasion, it makes your guests feel special.

Creating a beautiful table, isn’t as hard as it may look.

My biggest tips are to start with an inspiration piece then add layers to create interest and always add some candles.

Candles are inviting and set a wonderful mood for your dinner.

what is an inspiration piece for a tablescape

overhead view of tan cowboy boots with daisies and baby's breath inside one boot sitting on top of tan vintage boot on top of tan/white cowhide rug on top of farmtable

Think about what you want the look of your table to be.

For example, if it’s a certain time of year/season or a theme you are wanting to use.

Thinking outside the box for an inspiration piece creates a unique and interesting table.

One example would be this backyard barbeque theme tablescape I created for our dinner club group last month.

I live in Texas, so I decided a small cowhide rug and a pair of neutral color boots that I had on hand fit my theme perfectly.

Starting with those 2 things as my inspiration got my creative juices flowing. Then I began layering other things I already had that would go with my theme.

Try and use as many things that you already own to make creating your table simple and inexpensive.

You might also take a look at these other tables I created to find more inspiration.

Another note about inspiration pieces is if something pops in your mind that you think you might want to use, even though it seems a little out of the norm, just go with it.

Those pieces usually end up making the most unique and beautiful tablescapes and centerpieces.

The fishing net I used as a tablecloth/tablerunner is a great example of an unordinary piece.

overhead view of shrimp boil tablescape with brown paper on table covered with fish net place setting of white dinner plate stacked with woven plate holder and white salad plate on top small metal bucket lined with parchment paper on top of salad plate 6 place settings and 2 mason jars filled with small white daisies

some inspiration for a garden party centerpiece

For this fall garden party centerpiece, I used fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

We’ve had a brutal summer here in Texas, so my garden was done producing with the exception of cucumbers.

I also had a fair amount of herbs still hanging on.

So, I started with the cucumbers, some herbs and made a trip to my local grocery store.

It was fun shopping the produce section to find fruits and vegetables in the colors I had in mind.

garden basket filled with fresh veggies for fall garden party tablescape centerpiece

green and purple tablescape

As a lot of you may know, I typically keep my tablescapes in neutral colors. But for this particular table, I decided to add a couple of rich colors to create a cozy fall table.

The deciding factor for my colors were these cute cabbage look melamine plates I bought on sale at Hobby Lobby back in the spring.

cabbage look plate for place setting for fall garden party tablescape


Even though I typically shy away from color, something about them spoke to me, so I decided to go with it.

Since the color of these plates set the tone for my garden table, I used fruits and veggies in these colors.

I also had a couple of dried hydrangea blooms that were the perfect shade of green and deep purple.

fall garden party centerpiece


The foundation of my centerpiece was this linen table runner my friend Diane from South House Designs creates.

I love the texture and earthiness it adds to any tablescape.

linen table runner for fall garden party tablescape


In the center of the table, I placed a garden basket and filled it with the fresh veggies including different lettuces, eggplant, artichoke, turnip, avocado and cucumber.

A weathered clay flower pot filled with a bundle of red leaf lettuce added a fun element to my garden themed centerpiece.



Next, I added a few garden tools, brass candlesticks with tapers, and an artichoke I made into a taper holder.

Lastly, I sprinkled brussel sprouts along the table to fill in blank spaces and for a finishing touch.

garden basket filled with fresh veggies for fall garden party tablescape centerpiece


fall garden party place setting

fall garden party tablescape using fresh veggies, terra cotta pot, brass candlesticks cabbage plates

Moss placemats I made by cutting a moss table runner into smaller pieces worked perfectly as the placemats for a garden themed tablescape.

Next, the layering really begins. And this is the part I love, and what will really create an interesting table.

Brass chargers I found at a thrift store a while ago, were the base of my place settings.

The next layer was a white dinner plate with a gold rim, from my stash of thrifted plates, topped with a smaller green transferware dinner plate.

The final layer was a salad plate with an ivy border, also thrifted.

And this was the perfect table to use the gold flatware I purchased at a resale shop last year.

It blended beautifully with the brass candlesticks and chargers.

white linen napkin tied with green velvet ribbon sage sprig tucked in for fall garden party place setting



White vintage napkins, tied with a green velvet ribbon was placed at each place setting. And I tucked in a sprig of sage from my garden to add a little something extra.

I collect seed packets that have watercolor artwork on them, and happened to have several with a green or purple vegetable on them. They worked great with this fall garden themed table.

brass charger green transferware plate ivy border salad plate stacked for place setting for fall garden party



And perhaps, my favorite part, were the pieces of a broken weathered clay pot I used for placecards.

The names were written with a white chalk pen, so they can be erased and reused another time.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how to create a fall garden party tablescape and found some inspiration here.



This garden themed tablescape could easily be adapted to any time of year and any color scheme. Just change out the produce you use and napkin ribbon color.

You might also enjoy this garden party table I created for a friends birthday a couple of years ago.

garden inspired tablescape


Next up on our fall garden party tablescape tour is Jen from Midwest Life and Style. Her rustic and cozy garden tablecape is beautiful, so you don’t want to miss it.

Follow the links at the bottom of each photo so see all of my friends tables.

If you enjoyed this, be sure and Pin It to remember it…

brass charger green transferware plate ivy border salad plate stacked for place setting for fall garden party Pinterest graphic

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22 Comments

  1. Michele I love the harvest garden party! It’s gorgeous! It looks SO pretty.

    1. Thank you Stacy! I really enjoyed the theme this month!

  2. Michele,
    Your tablescape is stunning as always. I love the cabbage leaf bowls and the adorable centerpiece! Great job.

    1. Thank you Rachel! This was a really fun one to create!

  3. Oh my goodness! Every single Detail is amazing! So classy. I love it. Hugs to you.

    1. Thanks my friend! I appreciate the kind words!

  4. Nan, Odessa, DE says:

    This is the greatest! Thanks for using a center piece that isn’t all flowers. Nice change.
    Talk to us about the herb/veg that last the longest, keep cool or just enjoy, any other tips. I have used some of this for Easter. How is the sage tied? Thank you, so.enjoyed.

    1. Thanks so much and I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. As far as the herbs/vegetables for the centerpiece goes, the less leafy veggies last the longest. The lettuces won’t last quite as long, especially set up outside, if it’s warm. The turnips, eggplant, avocados, cucumbers should be find for a few days and maybe longer if they are inside.
      The sage was just tucked inside the ribbon I tied around the napkin. You could also use lavender, or rosemary.
      Hope this helps and answers your questions.

  5. Michele, I’m always so amazed at how creative your tables are. I feel like I say this every time, but I think this one is my favorite. So pretty!

    1. Thank you so much Jen! I really appreciate that. I love gardening and fall, so this one was a fun one to work on.

  6. Oh my goodness Michele…you outdid yourself on this one!! Each time I see one of your tablescapes I think it’s my favorite one but this one really is my favorite. I LOVE the green colors and hues throughout with the brass. SO pretty and you got so creative with the table settings!! Amazing.

    1. Rachel, you are always so kind to read my posts and comment. I am truly grateful for you following along and so glad you find inspiration here!!

  7. Michele your garden table is so pretty…love that you used broken flower pots and vintage seed packets at each place setting. You’re so creative!

    1. Thanks so much AnnMarie! I really enjoyed working on this tablescape. Such a fun theme this month!

    1. Thank you Lora! I really had fun creating this table.

  8. Oh this table is gorgeous! I’m loving the centerpiece and the dishes from Hobby Lobby.

    The touch if sage is perfect

    Pinned

    1. Thank you Cindy! I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks so much for the kind words!

    1. Thanks so much! So glad you like it!

  9. Your creativity and talent never cease to amaze me, Michele, this is truly gorgeous! I love all the layers of green and how you included so many different veggies in your centerpiece too. It’s all fantastic! Hugs, CoCo

    1. Thank you so much for the kind words! I truly appreciate it and so glad you found some inspiration with my tablescape!

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