It’s a purple day. The Siberian Irises are blooming in abundance. The sun is shining and a gentle breeze is blowing.
We have set up shop near the garden wall to enjoy it all.
An American quilt with violet American Lady iced tea glasses by Fostoria seems appropriate.
Some spidery deep purple placemats from HomeGoods last year (sniff…remember when we could just wander around inside HomeGoods??) anchor the Wedgwood Williamsburg Green shell-edged creamware plates.
The purple Siberian irises and lowly chive blossoms jostle in happy profusion.
Little purple open salts chime in with their curvy contribution.
The lilac creeping phlox is nearly finished blooming for the year, spreading happily along the top of the wall. See you next spring!
I love how green and fresh everything still looks before the real summer heat starts.
The green in the quilt was quite a bit softer than the surrounding lush plantings, so I opted for similarly toned napkins from Pier 1 a few years ago. The silver “spoon” napkin rings share the gentle patina.
With so much pattern swirling over the quilt, simple plates and napkins provide a calming counterpoint.
Using a collection of small, narrow-necked vases allows the irises to remain upright while giving them plenty of elbow room to display their distinctive shape.
And that’s a wrap – no quilty pun intended.
These days see me up to my elbows cooking, baking and table setting, with any spare moments occupied in photo sorting and writing. It’s down to setting the last five tables, preparing four recipes and one elegant drink for The Book. Then heads down to pull it all together. I’ll give you a sneak peek of a cake I prepared this past weekend. The rather vigorous colour combination reflects a coordinating tea set with which the table was laid. And that’s all I’m going to say for now. 🙂
Have a great Thursday, dear readers!
I’m sharing this post with Between Naps on the Porch.
Oh I LOVE this table Helen! I’m definitely going to steal – I mean borrow – your centerpiece idea. It’s just lovely! Also, I’ve never met anyone else with spoon napkin rings! I knew I liked you. 😉
I didn’t know you were doing a Book – that is so cool!! Hope you get to enjoy your lovely weather a little longer, and take care till next time!
Lovely purples. I picked my irises and they seem to last only a couple of days but my chive flowers forever, lupines and foxgloves as well. That cake is a work of art and should be frozen in time! Beautiful as ever.
Beautiful quilt and beautiful table. I really like the purples and the soft green together. My chives are blooming too and I hadn’t thought about picking them for a centerpiece. Fun idea. Your Siberian irises are striking.
Dear Helen,
Your garden looks lovely. Siberians are so low maintenance and give so much back! I’ve seen these place mats before on another of your tables…A few years ago I bought the same, a little lighter in colour, for 1 Euro at Nanu Nana, a German shop. I do like the combination of blue/purple and sage. Our perfumed bearded iris of intense purple are still going, and they make wonderful cut flowers–they last 4-5 days; the the lower buds bloom if the dying top flowers are cut off early. The last of the white (diva) peonies are in a vase with them.
That cake does not look like you at all. It will be interesting to see it in its setting. Thanks for the tease. I look forward to your blog to relieve the next month of intense pressure as we try to relocate our lives.
Stay safe and healthy…
You’re so right about the Siberian Irises, Beatrice. The bearded seem to be a bit more short-lived and take up more space with their more aggressive root system. But bearded are so stately, and with a wonderful range of colours.
Please stay in touch as you’re in the “relocation” mode. It is intensely stressful; all manner of loose ends to tie up, no doubt. It will all get done, and you will once again put down roots, but getting there can knock the stuffing out of you.
I finally signed on to your blog! I don’t know what took me so long but Maura always sent me the link. Beautiful as always but not an iris to behold here in Arizona! Looking forward to your book.
Hi Carolyn! So nice to hear from you. Arizona has lovely plants, but irises are not among them, I take it? I hope you and Paul can make it eastward this year – we need our Ciriello-fix! 🙂
Beautiful! The quilt and the iris are lovely together.
Thanks, Joy! Quilts make fun tablecloths (no ironing!).
So inviting, just lovely! I love all shades of purple and lavenders. What a great idea to put that lovely shade of green with it.
Thanks, Roxanne. The quilt did the work. I just “painted by numbers” so to speak. 🙂