How To Put On a Successful Garden Party

As we come out of COVID, we can have people around to our gardens. As we have all craved social contact for so long, now is the perfect time to host a garden party of your dreams. While any get together will feel pretty dreamy at the moment, it is worth spending some time creating the perfect gathering to celebrate our new freedom. Here we offer a guide to putting on a successful garden party to help you celebrate coming out of lockdown.

Spruce up your space

Likely, your garden has never been in such excellent condition. You have had so much time on your hands that you have managed to cultivate a little haven of happiness. Yet, if you invite your friends to your garden, you need to give it a once over first. You would clean up if it was your house – right?

To feel comfortable when the group appears, make sure everything is in good order. You need to give the patio or decking a good sweep; it might even be time for the power washer to come out of the shed. Weed those beds and cut the lawn, and make sure any detritus is clear away.

Sort the seating

One of the major pitfalls of garden entertaining is not having enough seats for your guests. Gather some fold-away chairs and polish off your garden bench. You should probably give your outside garden kit a good scrub down too. 

Now, we are limited to six people in our gardens, when this expands some, be sure to arrange your seating in small groups. People would like to huddle together to enjoy more intimate conversations.

Don’t forget the shade

While we live in the UK and worry more about shelter from the rain, you also need to ensure that people can escape to some shade. There is nothing worse than ending up like a lobster after a quality afternoon in the garden with your friends.

You have plenty of options for shade. The ideal would be to set up a gazebo, which you place near the house so people can move there to be more comfortable. Alternatively, you can dot some parasols around the place to cast some intermittent shadow. If all else fails, you can always provide some umbrellas for those who need to shelter.

As we come out of lockdown, it is more crucial than ever to have adequate shelter in your garden. Your guests should not be going into your home. Therefore, to prevent this meandering into your home, make sure there is a plentiful ice-cold water outside.

Prep that food

It is, of course, the time of year we also like to uncover and dust off the barbeque. In all parts of the country, people will be lighting those bricks (or flicking the switch on the electric BBC) and promptly burning the sausages.

If this sounds like more hassle than it is worth, you can always design a menu that involves sandwiches and finger nibbles. 

Pre-planning the food will stop this from being a stressful element. Get as much of the preparation done before the guests arrive, so you can be full of swan-like elegance when they walk into your garden. Better still, share the load by allocating different food for each friend to bring. 

And then the music

While it is lovely to talk and enjoy the companionship of friends, especially after such a drought of social connection, it is good to have some background tunes. The silence will put a lot of pressure on people to speak and fill up those gaps in chatter. Music is just the tonic for helping people relax and unwind and provide some flow to your party. 

A good idea is to choose a musical theme – something that will get people talking and moving. Obviously, if you are going for a genteel garden party, you will need some classical melodies. However, if it a BBQ, make sure there is something with a strong beat. 

While this music will keep your party’s atmosphere high, don’t fall out with the neighbours. It is a good idea to either invite them or keep the music to an acceptable level. Make sure your music is not blasted out too late into the evening!

Relax – and enjoy

Remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect to be fun. You might want to do some prep and make sure your garden looks good, but once it is underway – relax – enjoy – and cherish these moments with your friends.