Hello friends and Happy Monday! Can you believe how quickly summer is passing? Not to wish away my days, but I am looking forward to autumn.
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
Psalm 4:8 (ESV)
This image gives the appearance of a pleasant day outside. But looks can be deceiving. I braved temperatures in the high 90’s and a heat index of triple digits to set a table in the garden. Extreme heat with little rain has left the garden stressed as well as the gardener!
It is the first Monday of the month and I am joining Mary for Monday Morning Blooms. Our friend, Lidy is enjoying a lovely vacation and will be back for our September post.
As always, it is a treat to have Sarah from Hyacinths for the Soul as our special guest. She has an impeccable sense of style and a fabulous eye for detail! You will find Mary’s and Sarah’s links at the bottom of this post.
Our common theme for our August edition of Monday Morning Blooms is citrus! The Italian tablecloth, with its vivid color, highlights citrus fruit…lemons, limes, and oranges.
Limelight and Vanilla Strawberry hydrangeas are normally at peak bloom in our garden from July to the first of August. However this year has been very different. The extreme heat started turning the blooms very early! But my dear friend came to my rescue. I have often shared about her gorgeous hydrangea farm and the many varieties that she has nurtured and cared for over the years. She has now officially retired and it is well deserved. Martha is always so gracious and I am still able to acquire beautiful blooms. The need for flowers is a good excuse to visit with my dear friend!
A simple and easy arrangement of Limelight hydrangeas, lemons, and giant yellow marigolds which were cut from my garden.
In the background of this photo, you can see the hydrangeas have turned brown… more like the end of August rather than the first. A lemon-themed garden table adds plenty of color as the blooms are fading.
“The month of August had turned into a griddle where the days just lay there and sizzled.”
~Sue Monk Kidd
My plan was to make lemon tarts with a whipped topping, but I didn’t think they would survive the heat. I found these delicious lemon shortbread flower cookies with a lemon jam center at Trader Joe’s. I love using this stemware that came from Tuesday Morning years ago. I could always find something wonderful that I didn’t need!!
The lime green dinner plates were also a purchase from Tuesday Morning. American Atelier ‘Baroque’ salad plates, and Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage salad/dessert plates complete the casual plate stack! Woven placemats were added for texture!
Adagio maiden grass is thriving in the heat and provides an interesting background!
I discovered the Napoleon tortoise flatware in a Horchow catalogue at least twenty years ago! It is still available on their website. I always loved receiving catalogues in the mail, did you?
Sparkling lemonade is perfect for a lemon-themed table. I was going to serve it over ice, but the ice would have immediately melted, kind of like me!
I love these Mary Lake-Thompson lemon napkins found in a local gift shop.
I rediscovered this tablecloth tucked away in my linen closet. I had forgotten how pretty it is for an alfresco table!
Click on the links below for Mary’s and Lidy’s beautiful floral inspiration!
Mary ~ Home Is Where the Boat Is
Sarah ~ Hyacinths for the Soul
Thank you for your visit and gracious comments. Wishing you a joy-filled week!
Linking with: Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
Good Morning Pam! Your Italian tablecloth is stunning and the perfect foundation for a citrus-themed table and floral arrangement! Love the pops of yellow from the marigolds mixed with your lemons and hydrangeas. You have more stamina than I do, setting and photographing a table in your garden! It was all I could do to photograph on my hot and steamy porch. 🥵 I love the Adagio maiden grass the background and your beautiful image with the crepe myrtle blooming behind your table. The pink blooms mimic the color of the pretty stems in your goblets. I’m a big fan of Mary Lake Thompson and love your napkins. I used to sell her products back in my retail days which was 20+ years ago. I think you garden looks exceptional and not stressed at due to lack or rain and the heat. I do agree that this heat and lack of rain is stressful for the gardener. Gardening is not for the faint of heart! As always, it’s a treat to share blooms with you on these Mondays. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, stay cool! 🍋💛
Thank you, Mary! Fortunately the Sunshine Cottage is only a few steps away. I retreated in the AC every 15 minutes with ice cold water or I would have never made it. Wishing you a delightful week!
Yes, your citrus tablecloth is beautiful! I immediately thought of the Isle of Capri with their lemon trees when I saw your table. I love the lime green dinner plates that make all the shades of green pop and the Mary Lake napkins. I salute you for braving the humidity and heat to set the table. Cooling lemonade sounds good. Your centerpiece is pretty and the stems don’t look stressed.
Cooler days are coming! Have a good week.Bonnie
Thanks so much, Bonnie! I can’t wait for cooler weather. As I get older, the heat seems to bother me more! Wishing you a wonderful day!
I enjoy that you tell us the names of your place settings and glasses. Many found at Tuesday Morning. Among the stores closed probably by the damage caused by the fear of Covid was Tuesday Morning. Should it ever be reopened I’d be their first customer. Pier One was another one. Many mom and pop stores closed also causing so much insecurity to so many. Saying that I wish I could visit your storeroom of dinnerware and tablecloths. Today’s very hot day looked very cool with the citrus theme setting. And the green grass in the back ground set it all off. I suspect your water bill has been sky high. It’s very much appreciated.
Alice, I do miss Pier 1 and Tuesday Morning. Thank you for your sweet comments. The water and electric bills have been extremely high. I think of all those who can’t pay their high bills or don’t have air conditioning. Blessings always!
Well, it may be too hot to actually eat outside, but your table looks very refreshing.
Thank you for your visit, Carole!
Good morning Pam! I love everything “lemon” this year, it has been my decorating theme this summer. Your beautiful table reinforces that. The lemon tablecloth is simply gorgeous and everything you chose to go with it is perfection. Normally, I love summer…the days are long and nothing is better than sitting on my porch with coffee early in the morning. But I am like you, done and ready for autumn. So is my electric bill! My wish for rain may come true depending on Debby’s track. Wishing you a splendid week, my dear friend.
Lemon and summer go together especially ice cold lemonade and lemon ice box pie! I hope you get the rain, but not high winds or flooding. As always, thank you for visiting and your sweet comments!
You are brave to endure the heat and set your table in the garden Pam! It looks beautiful and your garden doesn’t look stressed to me, it looks beautiful as always! I love the tablecloth you found tucked away, it is perfect with your lemon accented flower arrangement. I love the glassware, and the way you added the tortoise flatware really ties everything together. Pretty plate stacks and I always like Mary-Lake Thompson’s wonderful artwork on the napkins. I love the photo of the table with the Adagio maiden grasses in the background…it’s all so pretty! Thank you for your efforts outside, I very much enjoyed it! I hope you got to enjoy a cool glass of lemonade when you were done!
Thanks so much, Jenna. I was able to endure the heat by taking breaks in the Sunshine Cottage which is only steps away. Iced tea came to the rescue! Enjoy your day!
Pam, as a Texas gardener, I’m quick to empathize with gardening in triple digits, much less setting up a beautiful table outside and photographing all while enduring that kind of heat. Have to say, even in the mountains of Colorado, it was hot in the afternoons.
I have long been a fan of Mary-Lake Thompson’s beautiful artistic pieces. You linens are a delight. Well, the entire table is delightful. Love the hydrangeas with the mix of lemons and marigold. I always admire your garden settings, and even the stressed hydrangeas with the tall grasses in the background are beautiful to my eyes. What a gorgeous setting!
Thank you to both you and Mary for including me in this month’s Monday Morning Blooms. It is always an honor and a pleasure.
My reply went poof, Sarah! Thank you for your sweet comments. I have been to Austin a couple of times in the summer, the heat was brutal. I know you understand the challenges. Wishing you a lovely week!
Pam, your gardens always look lovely, even in this heat. Such a thrill to find your lovely lemon tablecloth tucked away. I think I need an inventory sheet to show what I have. The limelight’s with lemons is so pretty. You are so ambitious to set a table in your garden in this heat. Mary Lake Thomason’s napkin are so pretty. I have some of her plates. Stay cool and refreshed. Happy new week.
Thanks so much, Linda. Yes, as you know, the heat makes alfresco tables difficult. We certainly were unable to enjoy a meal. Spring and fall are ideal for dining outdoors!
What a lovely centerpiece, Pam, and perfection with your tablecloth and setting!
Thanks so much, Jeanie!
Pam, What a lovely table! I love the tablecloth and napkins. They are beautiful! I always enjoy rediscovered linens as you feel you’ve found it again for the first time. Your arrangement is the perfect centerpiece. It does look as though it is cool enough to enjoy the alfresco table, but looks can be deceiving this time of year in the south. Happy Monday! Clara❤️
Thank you, Clara. It was extremely hot and I have become a wimp as I get older. I appreciate your sweet comments 💛
Love this pretty citrus table cloth and napkins. Love your pretty centerpiece. Have a great new week ahead. Hugs. Kris
Thank you, Kris for your faithful visits! Hugs!
Beautiful table! Love the stemware in the plum and green and the Horchow silverware. The tablecloth and napkins are gorgeous!
Thanks so much, Linda!
Pam, that’s such a color-appropriate table for right now! Your friend’s hydrangea blooms brighten it up, but I love how your maiden grass and placemats lend a neutral base, while the stems and flatware (and those browning blooms of yours) signal August signs in real life. It’s a really nice blend! Of course, I love all the bright lemon touches. Btw, I bought the Rose lemonade tea bags and thoroughly enjoyed that this morning, thank you for the suggestion.
Here’s to withstanding all the garden challenges August will bring, while enjoying the beautiful moments we can.
Thank you, Rita! It is hot August, with high 90’s all week. I am so glad you enjoyed the Rose Lemonade tea. I really like its summery taste. I hope you can get some rain from Debby!
A delightfully citrus setting Pam. I started imagining sitting with a cuppa & eating Lemon Drizzle Cake in your garden.
Blessings sweet friend, Jennifer
Thank you, my sweet friend. Lemon Drizzle Cake sounds delicious 🍋
Well despite the heat, your table looks so refreshing, Pam! Your centerpiece is so stunning as is your Italian tablecloth. Your napkins are perfect with your theme. I miss Tuesday Morning so much, too. Your bachdrop of grass is gorgeous! Thank you for all the beauty. Have a lovely week.
Thank you, Kitty for your sweet comments. Wishing you a wonderful wee!
I was taking a long, deep sip of water laced with ice and lemons as I arrived here, Pam. Seeing the title of your post made me smile with appreciation. Another serendipitous visit, friend. I hope summertime is treating you well.
Thank you, Linda for your sweet comments!
Pam you amaze me with all your creative tables and I can understand finding something that you had forgotten you had. I need to find a way to keep better track of my treasures. LOL August is pretty wet here in SW Florida but I;m sure the heat will be back way to soon. Your garden still looks beautiful and I know how hard you and Butch work to keep it that way. Stay cool my friend.
Kari, you are so sweet! We had a few days of rain, back to heat and dry again. Thank you for your visit!
Good Morning Pam,
What a lovely table you have set. Even though it was hot and sultry! The coolness of the citrus from your exquisite tablecloth, actual citrus, and lemonade is quite refreshing.
The beautiful plate stack with the pretty napkin is perfect with your stemware and flatware.
And your centerpiece is quite stunning! How fabulous is your friend, Martha!
Enjoy the rest of your week! Stay cool, my friend.
We are enjoying a houseful of family here at the lake! (The reason I am late to visit.)
Thanks so much, Nancy! Enjoy your houseful of family and I know you will!
Wow, you’re brave. The lemon theme is so lovely. The napkins look too pretty to use. Ha!
I’ve been a bit of a wimp where our hot weather has been concerned too, only spending a few minutes here and there out in the garden. The heat just zaps my strength. Thankfully, we’re experiencing a very welcome cool down right now, so my bare feet are constantly being drawn outdoors again. It feels so good to have dirty feet again.
Have a wonderful time with your family.
Thank you, Cindie. I need to deadhead, but the heat has been oppressive. How wonderful to be experiencing a cool down. Happy Thursday!
I wouldn’t have blamed you, Pam, if you’d bypassed the photo shoot for this post, due to the high temps. You’re right–looks can be deceiving. Your table-setting brings to mind a balmy day, and as always, entices us to sit awhile. Thank you for braving the heat for us! I love your stemware too–a creative union of (faux?) uranium and cranberry glass!
Thanks so much, Nancy. The stemware isn’t a creative union of uranium and cranberry glass 😊 Happy Thursday!
I love your mixture of limelights and citrus! Your table is beautiful. Kudos to you for braving the heat to set your pretty table!
Thank you, Ricki Jill for your sweet comments!
Looks can be so deceiving because it all looks so cool and refreshing and here you were sweltering in the heat to put it together for us! Thank you for persevering! It is just gorgeous! I especially love the stemware! So beautiful!
Thank you, Cheryl. I am staying indoors this week!
Pam, you are a dedicated tablescaper for sure to endure that heat! You would never know from the setting though that it was sweltering outside because it all looks so breezy and summery. The Italian tablecloth is lovely and you must have smiled when you rediscovered it. The hydrangeas are gorgeous with the marigolds and lemons and the plate stack is so pretty. I love love the Mary Lake Thompson napkins that you found. The stemware is so pretty and unique and so is the flatware from Horchow many years ago. It all looks so cool and refreshing. Happy Thursday to you. P.S. Your garden looks beautiful!
Kim, thank you for your sweet comments! When I started reviewing the photos, I realized no one would know how hot it was. I have stayed indoors this week. Happy Weekend!
Pam, your citrus inspired tablescape is perfect for this warm month of August. The heat has been miserable! I’m with you…I don’t want to rush away time, but I’m ready for fall. Your floral arrangement of hydrangeas, lemons, and marigolds is gorgeous! The place settings are so lovely paired with the pretty lemon napkins and citrus tablecloth. Those cookies look delicious. I love anything lemon. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, sweet friend!
Thank you, Shannon. I am ready for autumn, my favorite season! Blessings, my friend!