A GARDEN TEA PARTY

To follow our Saturday, San Antonio garden tour Pam and I had received an invitation for a return visit to the garden of Linda Peterson. Linda's garden had been on a previous SAWS garden tour as well as Central Texas Gardener.
I had visited last year when a steady rain meant holding an umbrella in one hand and a camera in the other. That doesn't work too well.

A visit with umbrellas last October.

 This time the weather was more favorable as we arrived at her home. The house itself lies behind a walled courtyard but with ample planting areas outside the walls which face the street on two sides (the house is on a corner lot). This has made it possible to create a meandering pathway through the area and still leave room for plantings on either side.

This pathway to the right of the gate just invites you to see what is around that bend. One technique to add interest to an area is to create berms so that the plantings are on a higher level from the path.

Don't you just want to go and sit down on this simple bench?

One of Linda's guests did just that.

Notice the swath of bamboo muhly grass, Muhlembergia dumosa, which creates privacy from the neighboring house. And the Texas sage, Leucophyllum frutescens, on the right, which has been limbed up to create a space for an under planting of lantana. Linda has done much limbing up of plants in her garden to great effect.
Here a line of variegated pittosporum has been given the same treatment. Linda's motive here was to create a safer place for birds visiting the close-by bird bath.

This faux bois birdbath has a tiny recirculating pump hidden under a stone. Moving water will prevent mosquitoes from breeding here.

Artfully placed pots hide this area of utility meters.

There is an amazing view of the garden and courtyard from the roof. Yes! we climbed up the spiral staircase onto the flat roof.

There are a couple of loungers up there and under the shade of the large oak tree it must make a wonderful place to sit.
Returning to ground level there are plenty of garden ornaments to catch one's attention. These beautiful barrel cactus.

 In a corner of the garden Linda's innovative use of left over copper tubing.

And left over panels of roofing material cut to make a screen.

Are you ready for tea? We were, and what a tea it was. A truly Royal (champagne) High ( table seated) tea.

I soon found my place.

We were served by Linda's daughters, Demi and Same.

Then came the desserts.

Absolutely scrumptious. Thank you Linda, Demi and Same for a truly splendesto afternoon tea.

COME TO TEA!

You know how much the English love their tea. Apart from our morning cuppa I usually put the kettle on around 4pm which is official 'tea time'. On Sunday I pulled out all the stops and served a special tea to celebrate a friend's birthday.

There are many different kinds of teas served in England. You may have been introduced to afternoon tea when watching Downton Abbey. The Dowager countess liked to invite a lady friend over to tea when she wanted to discuss something or maybe do a little prying. That was a fairly simple affair with maybe a small sandwich and cake and cups of tea and taken sitting on a chair with plates on knees or on a small side table. That is called low tea.

For this occasion my tea was mixture of Low tea, Royal tea and Devon cream tea! Royal tea named, not because the queen was in attendance, and she was, but because I served a little bubbly to start with.

We have Anne, Duchesse of Bedford, lady in waiting to Queen Victoria, to thank for this little ritual. With the ever lengthening time between luncheon and dinner she felt the need for a little snack and ordered a few sandwiches and cakes to be delivered to her room. She then suggested the idea of tea time to Queen Victoria who would invite ladies over to take tea with her.

But this wasn't an all ladies event at our house. We had gentlemen too, although it was the ladies who got together for a photograph while the men did the gossiping!

They may not have served all the things on my tea-time table but you would have been sure to see a selection of sandwiches and small cakes.

And maybe some meringues.

Undoubtedly there would be scones too. At one time the famous Devon tea consisted of scones with jam and clotted cream and was only served in the West Country. But such a delicious tea was sure to be adopted by other counties and now you can find a cream tea in many other counties and naming it after their own county.
I have to thank my friend the internet for many of these recipes. Want to know what was on the table.

Roasted red pepper and goat cheese sandwiches
Egg mayonnaise and chive sandwiches
Smoked salmon and cream cheese cucumber bites
Mushroom vol au vents
Curried chicken mayonnaise with grapes, dried cranberries, pecans and green onions on rounds of Granny Smith apples.
Watermelon cubes with pomegranate balsamic vinegar

Currant scones with strawberry jam and Devon cream
Shortbread fingers,
Meringues with cream and strawberries
Strawberries stuffed with sweetened cream cheese.

Earl Grey and English breakfast tea.

Next time you are thinking of celebrating a friend's birthday why not throw here a Royal tea.