20 Summer Centerpieces to Recreate for All of Your Seasonal Parties

Our best summer centerpieces make use of in-season blooms, fruits, vegetables, and other timely motifs.

Summer has no shortage of inspiration when it comes to flower arranging. From the beautiful weather and color palette to an abundance of stunning florals and fruits, anyone can easily assemble a centerpiece that's lively and unexpected. Invite some friends over for a summer get-together, and set the scene with a colorful tablescape and punchy blooms.

To help you with your own summer centerpieces, were sharing our favorite seasonal tablescapes that make use of naturally foraged elements like river stones and in-season florals.

Related: Hosting an Outdoor Summer Dinner Party? Here's How to Curate Elevated Place Settings

Bud Vases

A centerpiece fit for any summer garden party, this whimsical display is easily achieved with a few flowers from your garden and thrifted vases. Place stems randomly inside vessels to achieve a from-nature look. Be sure to select flowers in varying shapes and sizes to play up the organic vibe.

Flower Fruit Bowl

Creating a visually striking, on-theme centerpiece doesn't have to be difficult, as evidenced by this setup. Fill a few pretty bowls with seasonal fruit and tuck in some flowers from your garden to complete the look.

Vegetable Spread

Make use of the vegetables growing in your garden with this unique display. Fill vases about halfway with water and the place the vegetables inside, so the stems are spilling out. Display some of the arrangements on wood blocks to create even more dimension.

Tin Vases

One fun way to display flowers and greenery is in repurposed tin cans. If your tea or coffee comes in pretty canisters, save them to re-create this design for your next summer soirée.

Potted Plants

While flowers make for a beautiful summer centerpiece, they can attract insects to your tablescape. If you want to avoid this problem, consider swapping florals for potted plants, like we did here.

Patriotic Color Scheme

The Fourth of July isn't the only day when a red, white, and blue color scheme can be proudly displayed—it looks beautiful all season long leading up to Labor Day. Embellish a length of linen with grosgrain ribbon to make a runner, then use the rest remaining on your spool to tie off cutlery, add flair to napkins, or make miniature flags for floral arrangements.

Metallic Seashells

A collection of candle-filled shells brings natural charm to the table. We used clam and scallop shells—which were each coated in lustrous metallic paint and filled with melted wax—then added conch shells and sea stars to the display.

Herbal Votives

These pretty herb-embellished votives are really a cinch to put together—and they instantly up the eye appeal of any table setting while adding a hint of fragrance. Snip sprigs of woody fresh herbs (thyme is shown, but rosemary or sage work, too) and tie three or four to each glass votive with a piece of twine. If you don't grow your own herbs, this is also a great way to make use of leftover sprigs from the grocery store.

Shells in a Tray

Seafood is in abundance during the summer, so why not use that pile of empty oyster shells? Here, we filled a galvanized metal candle trough with them—this one has built-in taper holders; however, you can set pillar candles down the center of any rustic tray.

Related: 32 Seashell Crafts That Evoke the Beauty of Summer

Vases Within Vases

Enhance your flowers by nesting small vases inside larger ones. You'll double the impact—especially when they're placed on a windowsill to let the light shine through. Start by filling a narrow vase with water, then set it in the center of a wider, taller container. Layer tinted-glass vessels in varying hues, so the inner silhouettes stand out clearly. For extra stability, you can attach a piece of holding wax to the bottom of the smaller vessel to keep it from slipping.

Moss and Stones

Whether the materials come from your backyard or a garden center, it's easy to incorporate natural elements into the centerpiece of an alfresco dinner. Position stones down the middle of an outdoor table, and intersperse bunches of cushion moss (buy it from a reputable center, as some moss species are protected). Place votive candles along the sides to cast a warm glow over the arrangement.

Abundant Greenery

Here's a simple, summery way to celebrate the greenery that's in abundance this time of year. Set a beautiful table using decanters, tumblers, and even an ice bucket or two, all filled with a dramatic mix of garden greenery and understated blooms.

Terracotta Pots and Planters

Sun-kissed terra-cotta tableware can be collected into a centerpiece that'll withstand the weather. We bought the plates and tumblers, and painted stripes onto the decorative terra-cotta bowl. Salt and pepper cellars and napkin rings were sculpted from a few colors of no-bake air-dry clay.

Get the Terra-Cotta Bud Vases How-To

Blooms and Butterflies

Single hydrangeas, a quintessential summer flower, make a big show inside tiny pails down the center of the table. Pictured here: a mass of blossoms creates a grander statement among the refreshments. Add winged insects, punched from paper and attached to wires, to flutter around the hydrangea arrangements.

Related: How to Cut Hydrangeas in Your Garden So They Last Longer in Floral Arrangements

Pretty Peonies

Peonies are always worth swooning over. Create a pretty summery scene by placing brightly hued long-stemmed blooms in decorative bottles and floating single blossoms in small bowls, as seen here in this flower-filled garden.

Mums in a Trough

This crisp flower arrangement is pretty, easy, and fresh. Its secret is a grid of tape, which holds blossoms—such as these chartreuse spider mums—upright in a shallow container. The result is a centerpiece that's striking but not fussy, with a low height that makes it particularly conversation-friendly. (We used 20 flowers for an 8-by-12-inch galvanized-steel tray.

Garden Bounty

Create an hors d'oeuvre centerpiece that recalls a vegetable patch. Buy a large, deep galvanized-metal planter from a garden-supply center, line the bottom with sprouts, and pour in enough water to moisten them. Arrange vegetables, such as cherry tomatoes, carrots, radishes, asparagus, and cauliflower, in sections inside the container, varying the colors. Serve immediately with herb dip, or cover with moist paper towels and refrigerate up to two hours.

Two-Tiered Centerpiece

You can boost the height and visual drama of any arrangement with the help of a serving bowl from the kitchen or china cabinet. Set a vase inside the bowl, and then fill both vessels with billowing flowers. Our tip: floral adhesive will hold the vase securely in place but is easy to remove.

Crepe Paper Lotus

The balmy climate inspired our tropical party décor on display here. For lush centerpieces that will flower all summer, create crepe-paper lotus blossoms. Eye-catching and economical, they are simple to make—even for a busy host.

Coastal Finds

With the right candlelight, a few natural references, and a little human intervention, an outdoor table can compete with even the most majestic scenery. The components of this centerpiece include candleholders wrapped in punched paper to evoke white coral and driftwood done up with spray paint to emulate branches of red coral. Beach rocks, meanwhile, anchor the gauzy tablecloth, and even the glasses have an opalescent, seashell-like shimmer.