There's No Better Way to Celebrate the Southern Azalea Than With a Party

Embrace the blooms and head outside for this party. With a garden bursting with azaleas, set up a table and chairs. Here, crisp green linen draped on a round folding table sets off the pink azalea blooms, and simple wooden chairs are elegant but not too fancy for the garden.

You’ll want to start this party as soon as your guests arrive. Start with a dampened florist foam wreath and cover the surface with natural moss secured with floral pins. Place azalea sprigs in florist water picks, and insert along lower center of wreath. Loop strands of ribbon around the bottom center for a polished finish.

“Azaleas are easy to work with and fairly long-lasting in water,” says Southern Living resident flower expert Buffy Hargett Miller. For this centerpiece, start with a water-soaked block of florist foam. Place it in a large, decorative dish or bowl. Next, choose a lush filler, like the green viburnums used here, and insert them into the foam. Then fill out the arrangement with garden roses and azalea sprigs (also tucked into the foam), letting the blooms spill out.

Delicately patterned napkins tucked under each place setting define guests’ individual seats and complement the tablecloth. Mix and match dishes and glassware in shades of pink and white for a collected, vintage look. Keep the table pulled together by topping each place setting with a matching salad plate. We used monogrammed dishes from St. Louis-based Sasha Nicholas.

Handcrafted cone arrangements add an unexpected flourish to chairbacks. First, cut a square from medium-weight paper. Roll it into a cone shape, and secure with glue or tape. Choose two or three azalea sprigs (about seven blossoms), and place in a florist water pick. Insert the pick into the cone. Punch two holes in the back of the cone about a half-inch apart. Thread a ribbon through the holes, and secure to the chairback.