ENTERTAINING : For Garden Parties, Let Nature Take Its Course

Let a sunlit garden be your setting for fancier affairs, including weddings, showers and graduation parties. The following ideas might make it easier to plan your next special event:

* For a distinctive outdoor gathering, take advantage of nature’s gifts. Complement your fresh-air setting with clipped flowers and greens from your garden or the farmer’s market.

* Make your own flower arrangements in inexpensive clay pots. For masses of color everywhere, arrange fresh-cut flowers in assorted sizes and shapes of clay pots. To fill the clay pots with flowers, place a wet piece of flower foam (available at flower shops) in the bottom of each pot. The moistened foam will hold flowers and greenery in place when arranged and will help retain water.

* Mix and match tablecloths. Combine coordinating patterns and fabrics, such as flower patterns, pastel stripes and lace for a casual yet elegant look. Colorful bed sheets or quilts on hand make inexpensive substitutes for tablecloths.

* Tie together bundles of flatware and napkins. These handy pairs are easy to pick up from a buffet line. Tie a piece of plastic or silk ivy around flatware and a napkin, allowing the napkin to lie flat. (Do not use real English ivy because it can be poisonous.)

* Vary the service pieces and tableware. Don’t worry about matching all of your plates and platters. An assortment of patterns and colors adds interest to your party table.

* Turn presents into decoration. If gifts are a part of your celebration, put them on display. Instead of wrapping paper, try colored netting or fabric remnants. For recycled wrap, cut up brown paper grocery bags, crumbling them for more texture. Decorate the unprinted sides with pastel-colored, quick-drying paint. Or, skip the wrap and decorate cardboard, metal or wooden boxes with flowers, greenery, paint designs or bows made from bendable ribbon.