If you really want to wow your guests this autumn, consider making a succulent pumpkin centerpiece. This combination of color and texture works surprisingly well, and can lend your table an instant, rustic feel. Best of all, you can reuse the succulents once the season is over, and plant them in your garden. Real pumpkins will give you the most organic look, but you can also use fake ones to make a planter for your succulents instead.
EditSteps
EditUsing a Real Pumpkin
- Choose a Cinderella or fairytale pumpkin. These pumpkins are usually a mottled green-gray-orange color. They have a squashed, lopsided shape with wide ribs, and are labeled as "Cinderella" or "fairytale." For best results, pick a pumpkin with a large dip in the top, where the stem is. You'll be using this dip to "plant" the succulents.[1]
- The size of the pumpkin does not matter. Keep in mind that the smaller the pumpkin, the fewer succulents you'll be able to use.
- You can use this method with fake pumpkins and succulents too. If you are using a fake pumpkin, try to find one that has a large dip in the middle.
- Glue moss to the top of the pumpkin where the dip is. Coat the top of the pumpkin with spray adhesive, then quickly press the moss into it while the glue is still tacky. Use enough moss to fill the dipped area in a ½ to 1-inch (1.2 to 2.5-cm) thick layer. You can use any type of moss you want, but sphagnum moss will work the best.[2]
- Choose and prep your succulents. Pick out a variety of succulents in different shapes, colors, and sizes. Cuttings will be the easiest to work with, but you can use planted ones as well. Be sure to remove them from the soil first, then brush away any dirt to expose the roots.[3]
- How many succulents you pick depends on the size of your pumpkin. The larger the pumpkin, the more succulents you can use. Try to choose an odd number, however.
- Great varieties of succulents include: crassula mesembryanthemoides, crassula ovata gollum, graptosedum "Alpenglow," graptoveria varieties, pachyphytum varieties, and senecio rowleyanus.[4]
- Glue the succulents to the top of the moss. Pick out the three tallest succulents, then glue them into the moss slightly off-center. Work your way towards the edges, keeping the succulents close together. Keep the central succulents perpendicular to the pumpkin and the smaller, outer ones angled outward to create a mounded shape. Make sure that they are all grouped together and touching; this will make your arrangement look fuller.[5]
- For smaller pumpkins and arrangements, pick one big succulent to use as your focal point.[6]
- Clear, gel-based glue will work the best, but you can also use a low-temp hot glue gun instead.
- Add some extra items for color and texture, if desired. Floral items, such as dried flowers, seedpods, or pinecones, will work the best, but you can use other things that suit your theme too. Don't overdo it, however; you want the succulents to be the focus.[7]
- You should be able to just tuck the extra items into the moss and between the succulents. If they are falling out, secure them with hot glue or gel-based glue.
- Mist the succulents with water weekly. You can keep the pumpkin dry and slow down the rotting process by placing it on top of a ¼-inch (0.64-centimeter) thick piece of cardboard. Replace the cardboard when it starts to get damp.[8]
- Transplant the succulents once the pumpkin rots. Because you are using a real pumpkin, it will eventually rot. Once that happens, cut the top of the pumpkin off, then place it on top of good-quality soil.[9] Alternatively, you can pick off the succulents, and plant them in the soil directly.
EditUsing a Fake Pumpkin
- Buy a fake, craft pumpkin make from foam. You can find these pumpkins in arts and crafts stores around Halloween time. They are made from rigid foam and are hallow inside. You will use this method to turn the pumpkin into a planter for your succulents.
- This method is not recommended for real pumpkins because of their tendency to rot.
- The size of the pumpkin does not really matter. Keep in mind that the larger the pumpkin is, the more succulents you'll be able to fit.
- Use a small pot to trace a circle on top of the pumpkin. Choose a pot that is a little shorter than the pumpkin; make sure that it has drainage holes. Turn the pot upside down, and place it on top of the pumpkin. Trace around the pot with a marker, then set the pot aside.[10]
- Alternatively, you can skip the pot and fill the pumpkin with soil directly. Use a cup to trace a hole instead.
- Cut along the line that you drew. Use some kind of serrated knife, such as a drywall knife, a steak knife, or a pumpkin carving knife. Once you have the lid cut out, you can discard it or save it for another project.[11]
- If the pumpkin is solid inside, you will need to scoop the foam out until you have a hole big enough to fit the pot into.[12]
- If you will be using the pumpkin as a pot or planter, use a drill to make 1 to 3 drainage holes at the bottom of the pumpkin.
- Fill the pot with cactus soil. Set coffee filter or a scrap of mesh screening over the drainage hole first. This will prevent the soil from spilling out of the pot/pumpkin and making a mess. Fill the pot with cactus soil, then water it until the water drains out of the hole on the bottom.[13]
- If you are using the pumpkin as a planter, follow the same method. Fill the pumpkin all the way to the rim. Any space left inside the pumpkin may lead to rot.
- Plant your succulents into the soil. Choose a variety of different shapes, colors, and sizes.[14] Start with your largest succulent, then fill in the gaps with the medium and small ones.[15] How far apart you space the succulents depends on the variety you are using, so check the care label!
- How many succulents you pick depends on the diameter of your pot or pumpkin opening. For a more visually-pleasing arrangement, use an odd number of succulents.
- Succulents that work well for this include: crassula mesembryanthemoides, crassula ovata gollum, graptosedum "Alpenglow," graptoveria varieties, pachyphytum varieties, and senecio rowleyanus.
- Tuck the pot into the pumpkin. If the pot is too short of the pumpkin and you can't see the succulents sticking out, fill the bottom of the pumpkin with pebbles to give the pot a boost. If you want to, cover any gaps or exposed pot with Spanish moss.[16]
- Don't glue the moss in. Simply tuck it into place around the succulents.
- Skip this step if you are using the pumpkin itself as a pot or planter. The succulents are already planted inside of it.
- Water the succulents when the soil is dry. About once a month, pull the pot out of the pumpkin and water it. Let the excess water drain out before putting the pot back into the pumpkin.[17]
- If you filled your pumpkin with soil instead, keep a dish under it to catch any water that comes out of the drainage holes.[18]
EditTips
- Keep the centerpieces away from harsh sunlight, heaters, extreme heat/cold, and rain. A place that has good air circulation and gets bright, indirect light would be ideal.[19]
- Add some air plants for a unique touch![20]
- Instead of going for a traditional orange pumpkin, try a more unique color, such as: dark green, green-gray, white, striped, or mottled.[21]
- Spray the succulents with florist's paint/dye to get a surprising color, such as black.
- If you are using a fake, foam pumpkin, you can paint it or decorate it beforehand.
- If you have a black thumb and manage to kill even succulents, consider using plastic ones instead.
EditThings You'll Need
EditUsing a Real Pumpkin
- Cinderella/fairytale pumpkin
- Sphagnum moss
- Variety of succulents
- Spray adhesive
- Clear gel-based glue or low-temp hot glue
EditUsing a Fake Pumpkin
- Fake foam pumpkin
- Pot with drainage hole
- Marker
- Serrated knife
- Cactus soil
- Variety of succulents
- Spanish moss (optional)
EditSources and Citations
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