Pretty Table Style

Lemon yellows and lime greens make a big splash in this inviting table setting, and getting started was simple. Botanical prints above the Irish pine sideboard inspired the creative mix of flowering plants, glazed containers, and lovely tableware.

All With Orchids
When Leslie Simpson and her husband, John, entertain at home in Birmingham, she sometimes uses orchid plants for embellishing the tables. Besides adding an exotic, tropical look to the decorations, orchids are a practical choice: The blooms will usually outlast an arrangement of cut flowers. For hiding the orchids plain clay pots, Leslie chooses attractive baskets or stoneware containers from garden centers and flower shops. She supplements any sparse orchid leaves by setting small foliage plants inside the ornamental containers. Then she fills open spaces and covers container edges with bits of Spanish or decorative sheet moss.

"Pretty Table Style" is from the May 2007 issue of Southern Living.