Afternoon Tea with Flowers and Fashion

One of my favorite things to do is most definitely afternoon tea. The U.K. definitely has the right idea; it is a most civilized activity. My mother introduced the concept to me when I was seven years old. Since then, in my opinion, one of life’s great pleasures is a hot cup of tea with some tasty mini sandwiches and pastries.

For afternoon tea, one of my favorite places to go with my mother is Green Spring Gardens in Fairfax County, Northern Virginia. We attended a lovely summer tea program about a week ago. Green Spring used to be an 18th Century farm which includes a historic house built in 1784. Now it’s a park, a horticultural center, and historic landmark. The Horticultural Center has a greenhouse, a gift shop, a reference library, and plant shop as well as classes and programs for children and adults.

The tea programs are held in the 1784 farmhouse, and Debbie Waugh oversees Historic Green Spring. For every tea program, there is a theme with a talk and presentation. Debbie does all the research and puts together the PowerPoints herself. Her presentations have always been incredibly interesting and well researched. The theme for this particular tea was “Flowers in Fashion.”

Debbie discussed this history of the use of flowers in fashion throughout the ages. From this:

To this:

To this:

To this:

Following Debbie’s presentation, we then have our tea served. Given the topic, I decided to dress accordingly:

I’ve always loved retro-inspired fashion, particularly 1920s through the mid-1960s. I’ve always found the styles from these eras to be classic and can accommodate many different body types. The dress I chose in the picture is from ModCloth, which specializes in vintage-inspired fashion. I’m a fan of the 1960s vibe this dress gives off, not as much with the cut of the dress, but the flower print and the bright colors.

My mother also decided to dress following the tea’s theme in a petal pink blouse with a gold and pink flower necklace and matching earrings. You will notice that my lovely mother is not pictured here because she adamantly and unreasonably refuses to let me photograph her for the Internet. Yes, I might have been able to snap a picture subtly, but then I might get the wood spoon beating. Don’t mess with an Italian mother. She did insist on taking my picture at the table:

Today’s afternoon tea at Green Spring consists of tea sandwiches, petit fours, mini eclairs, mini fruit tarts, and scones with jam and clotted cream.

If you’re looking for a different kind of afternoon tea or a for a lovely garden walk in Northern Virginia, I would highly recommend Green Spring. Just so everyone knows, I’m in no way paid to say any of this, but I’ve been going to Green Spring since I was a little kid. It’s a beautiful place staffed by passionate and hard-working people, many of whom are volunteers. The educational programs they offer are fascinating for children and adults, and Green Spring is a true asset to historic Fairfax County and the community. They deserve all the support they can get. If you’re in the Northern Virginia or the DC Area, I can’t say enough good things about this place. If you want to check them out, here is their website:

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/green-spring