Nothing makes us feel more alive than weeding in our garden on a summer morning. And by "weeding in our garden" we mean watching "The Victory Garden" on PBS while we sip Bloody Marys after a night out with Lindsay Lohan. Even so, the thought of kneeling in the dirt while considering the perfection of a peony blossom or sampling a cherry tomato we planted ourselves is enough to make us invite all of our friends over for a "Victory Garden" party. Yeah, we can hardly believe it either.

Setting the Scene: Garden parties are all about color, so don't be afraid to turn up the volume with bright table linens and chair covers. Try to keep a theme, however, and stick with a variation of one or two colors. Set up gardening stations where guests can exchange seedlings or repot petunias (whatever those are), and have plenty of potting soil at the ready. Another great option is to have someone from a local gardening club or floral arrangement club come and demonstrate. Invitations can be printed on computer-generated seed packets, but be prepared to first buy seeds. Table centerpieces can be anything from orchids in terra-cotta pots to tomato plants in Dixie cups.

Attire: Gardening clothes, yard gloves, sun hats, garden clogs, wellies . Also a gardening apron (or a fig leaf if the garden you've chosen is Eden).

On the Menu: It turns out that many flowers are edible and, proving our timeliness, are all the rage in the world's trendiest restaurants. But it also turns out that many flowers are poisonous and could kill you, so keep that in mind when you head to the local florist for ingredients. A particularly daunting sentence regarding the edibility of apple blossoms – "eat in moderation; may contain cyanide precursors" – might prompt you to stick to fresh vegetables from your local farmers market.

On the Hi-Fi: "Garden Party" by Ricky Nelson; "Rose Garden" by Lynn Anderson; "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" by Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, or Peter, Paul and Mary; "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" by Tiny Tim; "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison; "Kiss From a Rose" by Seal; and "Scarlet Begonias" by the Grateful Dead.

The Showstopper: If you're going to have a garden, you're going to need a Jeep ... a Jeep wheelbarrow, that is. Visit jeepwheelbarrows.com and get one strong enough to move mountains: 8 cubic feet at a time.