Pumpkins are good for more than just carving and pie. Around my house, they make great planters, too. Plastic or real, tabletop or hanging—almost any pumpkin can easily be converted into a gorgeous seasonal planter.
Recently, I decided I needed some fresh fall hanging baskets for my patio. A bottle of black dye for my jute planters and a funkin (faux pumpkin) was all I needed.
The nice thing about using foam pumpkins is they won’t rot. All you have to do is remove the top with a craft knife; they are already hollow. Fill them with dirt and plants. As with any hanging basket, make sure your plants get plenty of water, as they will dry out quicker than most.
Live plants and flowers always had a chic touch to a party or decor. Save yourself the trouble of handcrafting an arrangement and buy one ready-made, like these succulents I found. I planted the arrangement inside of a live pumpkin, so I will have to change pots in a week or so. You could easily do the same thing using a foam pumpkin that will last much longer.
Chrysanthemums are a dime a dozen in the fall—even the grocery store has them for sale. There is nothing easier than sticking a cheap pot of mums inside a plastic jack-o-lantern.
Hit the thrift stores and see if you can find some jacks with different style faces and maybe even some in different sizes.
The more pumpkins the merrier, I always say. Same goes for making a fall table arrangement. Use one pumpkin carved hollow as your vase, then surround the bouquet with smaller pumpkins. Throw in a few heirloom pumpkins as well for added dimension.
So before you think about carving a snaggletooth grin into that pumpkin you just picked up, ask yourself: Would you rather have a bouquet? Plants in pumpkins are easy, cute, festive and a lot cheaper than a Waterford crystal vase.
Check out more Halloween ideas on www.jenniferperkins.com.