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Red, White & Bloom!

May 17, 2025 by Kimberly Snyder 3 Comments

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Looking for an easy Summer dough bowl idea? Why not make a Rustic Dough Bowl centerpiece with blooming plants!

Do you need an easy Summer dough bowl idea for your summerthyme decor?  Let me show you how to design a rustic dough bowl centerpiece with a few blooming plants and a dough bowl, of course!  It is one of my favorite Summer dough bowl ideas!

Rustic Dough Bowl Centerpiece

red geraniums and assorted plants in doughbowl

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If you have been following me for a bit, you already know that I have a passion for dough bowls and European dish gardens! Anytime I can combine those two elements, I am, well, in my element!

For a super quick summer dough bowl, I designed a red, white & blue centerpiece using assorted potted annuals.

But before we get into discussing the plants I have chosen, let’s talk about the container I plan to use.

Dough Bowls come in Many Shapes & Sizes

Dough bowls get their name from their original purpose: making bread dough!  An antique dough bowl was a great place for the bread dough to rise as the wood helped retain the heat which in turn helped the dough rise.  Every kitchen had a least one dough bowl and they were often times handed down through the generations.  Antique dough bowls are also sometimes referred to as trenchers.  Now, instead of being used to actually make dough, they have become a decorating staple especially for Farmhouse decor.

They come in different shapes and sizes.  In my personal collection, I have a round one, an oval one, a square one, a rectangle one, a couple of heart shaped ones and even one shaped like a Christmas tree.  Late last fall, I purchased an extra-large one that is over 3 feet long!

extra large wooden dough bowl

This is going to be the rustic dough bowl for our project today.  It works really well on our dining table in the lanai. It would look amazing on a farm table!  I do miss my dining table from the farmhouse!  Learn what else I miss by checking out this post: Kim Style; What I Wish I had Kept

There is also an introduction to the concept of “Kim Style” which is what I call my unique blend of several decorating styles.

Anyway, back to today’s topic of designing a rustic dough bowl centerpiece!

White peppermint vinca and red geranium

As I stated earlier, I have a fondness (ok maybe it is an obsession) with European Dish Gardens and dough bowls!  Since this particular “project” is a very loose interpretation of a European Dish Garden, let’s briefly review the concept of a European Dish Garden.

How to Design a European Dish Garden

The beauty of a European Dish Garden, besides being so easy to make, is that you can combine plants that have different watering requirements together in one container since you are keeping them in their own pots.   I generally use the concepts of the European Dish Garden when I am preparing a centerpiece for a specific event or when I need a unique hostess gift or present for a friend or family member.

The first step when designing a European Dish Garden is to choose your container.  You can use any type of container you want.  Please take into consideration where your finished European Dish Garden will be sitting.  If the container is not watertight, you will want to add a liner or something that will catch the water, so it doesn’t leak on to your furniture.

For today’s project, each of the plants will either be placed in a pot with a saucer at the bottom, a decorative ceramic pot or wrapped in a speed cover.  A speed cover is simply a premade foil covering.  I used them a lot in the flower shop to save time.

If you are concerned about dampness between the bottom of the pots and the dough bowl, a circle of cork can be placed between the plant and the dough bowl.

extra large dough bowl with red white & blue

The next step in designing a European Dish Garden is choosing your plants.  Since it is Summer, I wanted to use plants that were easy to care for and would provide blooms throughout the season.   For this project, I picked a traditional red, white & blue color scheme.

A hot summer mix color scheme of purple, hot pink and red would be striking as well.

Flat of geraniums

mixed planter with hot pink dianthus

The Plants

I decided to use Blue Salvia, deep red dianthus, red geraniums & White Peppermint Vinca.

blue salvia in a square pot

Diamond Frost, vinca and angel vineburgandy dianthus

 

 

Putting the Arrangement together

This couldn’t have been much easier!  After wiping out the dough bowl, I simply lined up the potted plants! I didn’t repot the plants into the  pots, I simply placed the 6 in potted plant into the 7 1/2 inch white pot.  So easy!

In the case of the salvia, it was in a larger, taller pot, so I slipped it down into a decorative ceramic pot!  The ceramic pot did not have a drainage hole so I will need to be sure to not overwater the salvia.  I don’t want it to sit in water for an extended time.

The geranium is in a patriotic speed cover.  I used a 4 1/2 inch speed cover for the deep red dianthus.

For a final touch, I added a small American flag to the center pot!

summer plants in a doughbowl

More Summer Dough Bowl Ideas

Let’s Play Ball

What would Summer be without baseball?  This round dough bowl idea is so simple!  I usually leave out a baseball inspired centerpiece all season long.  To see how I put this together, please visit this post: How To Design a Summer Dough Bowl

Dough bowl decorated for the Summer

Not A Dough Bowl but still pretty!

patriotic european dish garden in a chalk painted basket

For this basket arrangement, I simply refreshed an old wicker basket with chalk paint and added two 6 inch plants.  The White Peppermint vinca is quickly becoming a new favorite of mine!  You can find all the how to information about this project here: How to Refresh an Old Basket with Chalk Paint

What Can I Use If I don’t Have A Dough Bowl?

If you don’t happen to have a dough bowl, a galvanized hog feeder can be used as the base for a summer centerpiece! I actually found this hog feeder when I was cleaning out the barn in preparation of selling our Illinois farm. More about all the treasures the barn held can be found here: Look What We Found in the Barn!

 

Galvanized tin trough

Uncle Sam Hat in an old hog feeder

A Last Look at One of My Favorite Summer Dough Bowl Ideas

blue salvia, red geraniums & vinca in doughbowl

A Few More Summer Dough Bowl Ideas:

Mother's Day Dough Bowl

A Mother’s Day “Forget Me Not” Dough Bowl

Summer European Dish Garden centerpiece

Blue & White Summer European Dish Garden

Early Fall Dish garden with rustic accents

Let’s Plant An Autumn European Dish Garden

Save This Pin for Your Favorite Summer Dough Bowl Ideas Board

 

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Filed Under: Blog Post, Flowers, Gardening Tagged With: "Kim" Style, dough bowl, European dish garden, patriotic, summer

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Comments

  1. Beth says

    May 12, 2025 at 4:54 pm

    The PERFECT decor to create with a dough bowl – Love it and thanks for sharing! Creatively, Beth

    Reply
    • Kimberly Snyder says

      May 12, 2025 at 5:19 pm

      Thank you , Beth! Happy Summer!

      Reply

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  1. Share Your Style #434 says:
    July 24, 2024 at 10:45 pm

    […] shares this lovely tablescape ~ Summertime Pink. Love the ethereal swirls in each glass…. Red, White & Bloom! – A Rustic Dough Bowl Centerpiece is this week’s feature from Kim at From Farmhouse to Florida. So pretty!!! And this cutie […]

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Hello! Kimberly (Kim) Snyder and I'm glad you're here. An entrepreneurial spirit, I've owned a flower shop and antiques store, a pizza parlor and now we're in Florida living a new adventure. Join me as we downsize into our new digs and continue the adventures! WRITER & BLOGGER

Kimberly Snyder shares the adventures of moving to Florida and beginning again in a new space as a herbalist, a creative, and a serial entrepreneur

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Mowgli isn’t quite sure about the hat! But he is Mowgli isn’t quite sure about the hat! But he is sure that it is thyme to celebrate Summer! #summertime #fromfarmhousetoflorida #chugsofinstagram #kimstyledecor
Pretty in Pink for Spring! Thinking about layering Pretty in Pink for Spring! Thinking about layering in some aqua for Summer. What do you think? #kimstyledecor #coastalfarmhouse #coastalfarmhousestyle #fromfarmhousetoflorida #decoratingwithshells
Summer thyme is just around the corner! Let’s re Summer thyme is just around the corner! Let’s refresh your outdoor area! #fromfarmhousetoflorida #kimstyledecor #outdoorlivingspace #summervibes☀️ #coastalhomedecor #coastalfarmhouse
It is so easy to refresh a wicker basket with a co It is so easy to refresh a wicker basket with a coat of chalk paint! I used some left over chalk paint for this project. After the basket was dry, I filled it with a couple pots of blooming plants! #chalkpaint #wickerbasket #basketmakeover #basketlover #gardenstyledecor #kimstyledecor #fromfarmhousetoflorida
We had the house painted last fall. I finally got We had the house painted last fall. I finally got the vintage urns out of storage and added white mums.  #brocantestyle #brocante #gardenantiques #gardenstyle #kimstyledecor #whitemums #fromfarmhousetoflorida
Instagram post 18044738081437452 Instagram post 18044738081437452
I love to use my Mom’s vintage Hamilton Beach mi I love to use my Mom’s vintage Hamilton Beach mixer! It still works after all these years. I did have it re-wired several years ago because the original cord was frayed. #hamiltonbeach #fromfarmhousetoflorida #vintagekitchenwares #mothersday #farmhousekitchendecor
Not sure if I ever shared this version of the pott Not sure if I ever shared this version of the potting bench. I started decorating it with a lavender theme. I must have gotten distracted before I finished it! It just needs a few potted lavender plants ti finish it! #lavender #farmhousedecorating #gardenstyle #fromfarmhousetoflorida #pottingbench
Simple Summer sugar mold idea! I made the flower o Simple Summer sugar mold idea! I made the flower out of the trim from an old pillowcase.  #sugarmoldcenterpiece #sugarmolddecor #fromfarmhousetoflorida #farmhousedecor #fauxhydrangeas #gardenstyledecor #cottagedecor #kimstyledecor

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