At the age of 50, Pat Stidham stopped at a garden center one day to enjoy the pretty blooms.

“I told the clerk I didn’t know how to grow flowers and he bet he could tell me everything I needed to know about gardening in five minutes,” remembers the Springboro woman. “I bet him if that were true, I’d be spending a lot of money at his center. We both won our bets.”

As Stidham’s garden has grown through the years, so has her love of entertaining in it.

“The best part of a garden is sharing it with friends,” she says.

Summertime’s the ideal time to plan a garden party, especially for those of us who live in climates where outside entertaining isn’t a yearlong option. Whether it’s an extensive garden like Stidham’s that incorporates a charming little tea house, or a pretty deck or patio filled with blossoms, the event is certain to take on special flavor with Mother Nature as one of the hosts.

Author Natalie Ermann Russell says you don’t have to have a fancy garden to make it a pleasurable experience for your guests. Russell is the author of the “Outdoor Entertaining Idea Book” and a former editor of “Martha Stewart Living.”

“You can have a fancy garden party if it’s your style, of course, but entertaining outdoors can also be quite elegant if it’s low-key and simple and unfussy,” she says. Meals may range from a simple breakfast or picnic lunch to a full-course meal and evening dinner party. Another option: serve drinks or dessert in the garden, come inside for the main meal.

Russell says comfort is key and seating is a necessity when it comes to outdoor entertaining.

“If it’s a daytime party you want to make sure there is shade,” Russell explains. “And there’s something about being hot and standing that makes it worse, so you want to be sure there’s enough seating.”

That seating, she adds, needn’t be traditional. It can be a circle of chairs set up in a nice spot in the garden, it can be little stools, or even big boulders. You can put out picnic blankets or little benches with guests sitting side-by-side. If your steps are deeper, people can even get comfy on the steps.

When it’s the kind of weather we’ve been having lately, you’ll want to make certain there are plenty of non-alcoholic drinks available — water, iced tea, lemonade. You may also want to fill a tub with dry ice and popsicles or paletas (gourmet ice pops) which are trendy at the moment.

Food options can range from the tea and homemade scones Pat Stidham serves on her pretty linens and china, to a complete meal. Those who love to grill can opt for barbecue, those who hate to cook can invite everyone for a potluck supper.

“I like the idea of a potluck, so we may ask everyone to bring something from a farmer’s market,” Russell says. “It becomes a big local food feast.” If you grow your own vegetables, you can incorporate them into the menu. A big salad can be a refreshing choice for a luncheon.

“It’s so satisfying to see where something came from and then see it on your plate,” Russell says.

As for decorating, she says nature is all you really need.

“Instead of having a fancy tablecloth, just a simple wood farm table can be pulled outside from inside,” she says. “You don’t really need anything fussy to dress it up.”

Russell, who has a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old, often entertains other families at her home in Charlottesville, Va. She invites them in the afternoon so that the children can play before dinner.

“I have a big galvanized buckets of bubbles for the kids, and I ask guests to bring their favorite outdoor games,” she says. “That also allows you as hostess not to have to be the ringmaster.”

Russell says it’s important to have a Plan B in case of hot weather or a downpour.

“It might be bringing people inside or moving to a different venue. You could go to a park with a pavilion.”

Don’t assume it’s only other guests you’ll want to entertain in your garden. It can be a source of pleasure for your family and for yourself as well.

Just ask Pat Stidham.

“All of us enjoy some quiet moments of rest in the peaceful setting of our own gardens in the early morning or sunset,” she says.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2440 or mmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.