Fourth of July Garden Party

Although I tend to stay away from primary colors in my garden in favor of softer colors (lots of pale pinks, soft blues, lavender, whites, and silver), I will do reds and blues in containers on the years when we entertain for July Fourth. Red geraniums are so easy to come by and the tone of red is just right, and so many flowers come in pure white (I like petunias and alyssum). For blues there is of course blue salvia and also lobelia, although around here I often have trouble finding the shade of blue that I want in those flowers. They tend to be more purple than blue. One year I just put the red and white flowers in blue-glazed pots, and the effective was very nice. You could also make up small vases of salvia spikes and red roses or the geranium flowers to use on the table, or wherever you want a splash of patriotic color.

This is something the kids can help with: picking out the red, white, and blue flowers at the garden center, and if they're old enough they can help to plant them or arrange the containers or pick blooms for the vases. I remember helping my parents in the garden and how that made me feel that the garden was mine, too. A little goes a long way with kids. They'll feel good watching their stuff grow all summer.

Sounds like your party will be a blast--may I come?  Fourth of July is such a fun time for parties--the mood is so festive! I'm not sure where you live, but berries should be in season, whether they're strawberries or raspberries and of course blueberries, so you can make a red, white, and blue dessert or salad! I like to mix them with vanilla ice cream and coconut for the effect.

Another thing we did for our kids a couple of years ago was to make our own ice pops using the freezer molds. We layered blue and red fruit smoothie mixtures and then let the little ones go wild with them, getting all sticky and messy before rinsing off with the hose and in the wading pool. It's such simple, pure fun and I think years from now it's what they'll really remember from childhood...especially since we took plenty of photos, too!