PrettyFood

Creating memories around the table

  • Home
  • Capers
    • Hours and Location
    • Capers News
    • What’s New
    • Product Spotlight
  • Recipes
    • Visual Recipe Index
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
    • Soups
  • Advice
    • The Basics
    • Ask PrettyFood
    • Critiques
    • Essentials
    • Gadgets & Tools
  • Make it Pretty
    • Tablescapes
    • Flowers
    • Garnishes
    • Holidays & Celebrations
    • Takeout Tricks
  • On the Road
    • Chicago
    • Florence
    • Honolulu
    • Los Cabos
    • Louisville
    • Napa Valley
    • Paris
    • Santa Fe
    • Scottsdale
    • Seattle
  • Special Features
    • A Week of Low-Carb Meals
    • More from Mary Beth
  • About
    • About PrettyFood
    • Contact Us
Home / Make it Pretty / Sunny Sunflower Tablescape

Sunny Sunflower Tablescape

Friday, July 9, 2021

 

sunflowerartichokebouquetinwoodvase

There’s something rustic and strong about the unspoiled beauty of sunflowers.  These unpretentious blooms turn their faces toward the sun during the day (a trait known as heliotropism), and are considered a happy, cheery flower.  One of my fondest memories is standing in the middle of a massive sunflower field in Kansas at dawn one morning, with stalks tall enough to hide me and massive vivid yellow blooms surrounding me as far as the eye could see.   These glorious flowers deserve to be the star of a dining table.  After all, they inspired both Van Gogh and Monet!

oldfashionedyellowfalltablescape

 

When creating a bouquet with sunflowers, please know that these are thirsty little things.  You will need to make sure you keep checking the water level in your vase.  Other than that, they are fairly low maintenance if you get them when they are really fresh.  Perhaps it’s just me, but I see sunflowers as comfortable and unpretentious, not fancy.  As a result, when I look for things to pair them with, I stay away from prissy and delicate flowers that won’t measure up to the strength of our little faces of sunshine.  On this table, I used a vase that was coated with tree bark to start the rustic “back to nature” theme.

oldfashionedyellowtablescape

You will want your vase to be a little taller than you might normally use on the dinner table, because these stalks are long and thick.  Here, I arranged the sunflowers with whole stem-on artichokes and a member of the thistle family known as blue sea holly, or blue thistle.  (I have also seen them called Scotland Thistle Flower.)  Keep it simple.   You don’t want a big mixed bouquet.  You want just a few supporting actors for your stars, the sunflowers.

oldfashionedyellowvintagetablescape

The dishes and glasses were chosen because they worked well with the sunflower colors.  Pairing fine china gilded with gold with these hearty blooms would result in a visual disconnect, I assure you.  There’s a vintage yellow and white checked tablecloth on bottom.  What else?  Rattan chargers beneath the goldenrod-colored plates.  Orange stemmed glasses.  Vintage glass compotes (some yellow, some orange), fun silverware that brought in all the colors on the table.  Mary Engelbreit salt and pepper shakers, and a platter that echoed the color theme.  The goal was to create visual harmony so that what you really notice are the brilliant flowers of the field.  The result?  A sunny sunflower tablescape that will make you and your guests as cheery as our sun-facing floral friends.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
« Intimate Outdoor Dinner
Scrumptious treats at Capers Emporium! »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Our store and more •

With Capers Emporium, Mary Beth and Michael Guard have given PrettyFood.com a real home — a large retail store where people can purchase elements to set beautiful tables, concoct wonderful meals, play with gadgets, take cooking classes, and much more!. Read more »

• Hours & Location •

Now open seven days a week!

Sundays Noon – 4 p.m.
Mondays 11:00 – 5:00
Tuesdays 11:00 – 5:00
Wednesdays 11:00 – 5:00
Thursdays 11:00 – 5:00
Fridays 11:00 – 5:00
Saturdays 11:00 – 5:00

MAP »

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Email

• Find Recipes •

Newsletter

Receive The News Bite each month.

By Course

Archives


● Farmers Market to Table
● On the Grill
● Dining Outdoors
● Time-Saving Tools
● Mary Beth's Faves

• Visual Recipe Index •

View all of Mary Beth's delicious recipes at once with our Visual Recipe Index.

• Popular •

Crudités

Preparing to Make a Recipe

Cranberry Goat Cheese Pudding Layers

• Tags •

Appetizers Asian Bacon Beef Breakfast Cheese Chicken Christmas Daily Meals December Desserts Dishes Easter Eggs Fall Farmers Market Fish Flowers Fruit Grilling Halloween Italian Low-Carb Meat Mexican Outdoors Parties party food Pasta popular Quick & Easy Seafood Seattle 2010 Snacks Southwest Spring Summer tablescape Thanksgiving Travel Turkey Vegetables Vegetarian Videos Winter
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Visual Recipe Index
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks
    • Soups
  • Advice
    • The Basics
    • Ask PrettyFood
    • Critiques
    • Essentials
    • Gadgets & Tools
  • Make it Pretty
    • Tablescapes
    • Garnishes
    • Holidays & Celebrations
    • Takeout Tricks
  • On the Road
    • Chicago
    • Florence
    • Honolulu
    • Los Cabos
    • Louisville
    • Napa Valley
    • Paris
    • Santa Fe
    • Scottsdale
    • Seattle
  • Special Features
    • A Week of Low-Carb Meals
    • More From Mary Beth
  • About

f-facebook f-twitter f-pinterest f-rss f-email
Contact Us
Site Map

Copyright © 2025 · PrettyFood | Privacy Policy