DIY Succulent-Filled Pumpkin Centerpiece - Mississippi Farm Country

DIY Succulent-Filled Pumpkin Centerpiece

This beautiful succulent-filled pumpkin centerpiece is a perfect decor piece for you to DIY and bring the feeling of fall into your home.

Fall is my favorite season of the year. I especially love growing materials to use in seasonal floral design for the home, church and workshops. But don’t worry if you don’t grow your own fall ornamental materials such as gourds, pumpkins or corn, it is still possible to make beautiful decorations with wild materials from the great outdoors and add in some purchased materials from your local store or internet sources.

Everyone loves to see jolly pumpkins displayed on the front porch or as the centerpiece at dinner. One recent trend is to dress up the traditional pumpkin with succulent plant materials – various types of plants evolved from arid regions of the planet with little rainfall. 

This project is creative and easy to make. But be prepared, because when others see it, you may get requests to make them a replica! 

One tip for keeping the cost of this project in check is to use cuttings rather than entire plants. It is possible to purchase cuttings of multiple types of succulents less expensively than plants. 

Some common groups of succulents include aloe, crassula, echeveria, haworthia and kalanchoe.

iStock/EasyBuy4u

To create this project, assemble:

  • Newspapers or a drop cloth
  • Adhesive, such as Liquid Nails or hot glue
  • Pumpkins
  • Succulent cuttings
  • Additional trims such as natural pods, nuts/acorns, small pine cones or pine cone segments, dried leaves and moss

Instructions

  1. Wash and dry the surface of the pumpkin to remove dirt. 
  2. Add glue to the cut end of succulent or natural material, then adhere it to the pumpkin. Hold it in place for a few seconds. I have used hot glue from a glue gun with good results, but home-repair-type glues may be safer with young designers present. 
  3. Alternate succulents with other materials to make a pleasing, quilt-like pattern. 
  4. Once completed, mist the entire design with water. Succulents like sunny locations, but keep in mind that this design is not a planter, but a cut-plant-decorated pumpkin! As the season changes and fall decorations give way to evergreens, cones and berries, remove the succulent cuttings and compost the remaining materials. You can plant the succulents in sandy potting soil and place them in a window with full sun for the winter. Once temperatures rise above 40 degrees, these tough plants can make their way into an outdoor planter or window box for another full season of enjoyment.

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