A Natural Fit-Pumpkins & Succulents
Who would ever have thought of decorating pumpkins with succulents? Like bacon, succulents go with everything and make it better. The finished product is so different from the traditional carved Jack-O-Lantern, plus you don’t have to fool with the mess of seeds and rotten pumpkins. Unlike cut pumpkins these will last for months, and the succulents actually root in the moss if misted occasionally. This is a great new twist on decorating pumpkins for the fall holidays that is easy, no mess, and so creative. In the fall I have so many large succulents that I don’t have room for inside that I cut them up for decorations.
Better than losing the succulents to frost! The succulents actually root into the moss and you can transplant the cuttings to soil and grow them and set them out in the spring, saving on your start-up plant costs.
Material List
- A pumpkin or large gourd
- Sheet moss, sphagnum moss, or reindeer moss
- Assorted cuttings of succulents. I was moving most of my succulents indoors to beat the frost, and this gave me the opportunity to trim the growth back or actually uproot an entire plant, washing off the roots. I simply nipped large pieces of succulent tips from living plants, trying to vary colors, shapes, and textures.
- Assorted pods, i.e. pine cones, okra pods, lotus pods, milk weed pods, and berries. For my example above, I used nandina berries and foliage which dries quite nicely, and okra pods. Mix it up with whatever you have on hand.
- Tacky glue or glue gun
- Spritzer for moistening moss
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Berries, pods, and foliage to add to the pumpkin Step By Step
- Find a wide topped pumpkin and cut the stem off; I used “Cinderella” variety which has a grayish orange color, deep pleats or grooves, and a wide roomy top.
- Glue moss on top about 1/2 inch thick with a glue gun or tacky glue.
- Arrange your succulent cuttings to form a pleasing arrangement, making sure that you use the larger chunkier pieces first. Stick the stems into the moss with glue so that they adhere. Glue will not hurt the succulents.
- Add berries, pods, or anything else that goes with the fall theme, gluing in place.
- Spritz the moss so that it stays moist
There are so many unusual pumpkins on the market today that I also tried this arrangement with a Christmas theme using a white pumpkin, adding fresh variegated holly, winterberry, green amaranthus, and dried burgundy cockscomb to add a nice contrast to the white pumpkin.
Gourds
Gourds are also a great choice for these arrangements, appropriate for Thanksgiving and I chose a tall narrow one that fits into a smaller space. I had gathered some orange rose hips on the side of the road and blackberry lily berries and knew I had found the perfect use for them decorating the top of my gourd.
Maintenance
It is best to keep the pumpkin inside in a cool spot, out of direct sunlight. Pumpkins need cool weather to stay firm through the season. If you want to keep them in an outside location, like mine on my front porch, be sure to bring inside when the weather turns colder with hard freezes. A warm house will speed up the inevitable decomposition, so don’t put your pumpkin on top of a radiator or in a sunny window. Last year, my pumpkins lasted into January!
