An easy-to-make centerpiece for your fall-themed table, using a beautiful pumpkin, can be prepared in half an hour. By integrating dried flowers, pods, and juicy succulents, your centerpiece will last for weeks. Drying flowers from my garden all summer gave me plenty of material to choose from and I had a bumper crop of dried sunflowers to use. The dried sliced oranges and hot peppers were dried in my dehydrator. As for succulents, I have a full greenhouse!
Succulent Selection
Choose the most interesting succulent shapes and colors and cut them at the base as close to the ground as possible to get a good stem. Let the stems harden at the ends before using them. The callus from the cut end forms a thin skin that prevents the succulent’s juices from suffering.
Pumpkin Selection
The variety of pumpkins to choose from is so wide and diverse that it can be confusing which would be the best base. But look for something with a wide, flat top, a good, sturdy stem, and no visible signs of rot, such as dents and holes. If there is a cut in the skin of the pumpkin, rot can set in very quickly and when you pick up the pumpkin to decorate, the entire pumpkin will fall apart.
I love light colored pumpkins because they show off the succulents better, but bright orange is the traditional choice.
Step by step
For this centerpiece, I chose a green Jarradale pumpkin as the base and to start, I hot glued some green moss on top, giving the succulents something to adhere to. Continue gluing the larger items on top around the stem. Here I used white mini pumpkins and dried sunflowers as the main components.
Then, hot glue the smaller dried flowers together. The use of the burgundy cockscomb created a nice contrast to the light colored pumpkins.
Continue adding dried flowers to cover the top and sides of the pumpkin. One of my favorite dried foliage is Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria). Drying beautifully, it looks almost as good as fresh.
Continue gluing dried blue hydrangeas and some flexible metal fern leaves to increase the richness of the design. Be sure to go down the sides of the pumpkin to create a lush look. It’s almost finished!
Dried blue sage and succulents were added at the end and the last finishing touch was a piece of kiwi. Don’t hot glue your succulents! They will melt on high heat. Use a fast drying glue. I use E6000 available at any craft store. Air plants are also a great addition, but be sure not to hot glue them together either. Fresh plant material does not work well with hot glue.
Careful
This creation will last for weeks, even until Christmas. To make it last longer, do not place the pumpkin in the sun, and the colder it is, the better the temperature. Misting with a few pumps of water every few days will keep them looking fresh and some of the succulents will even begin to grow roots.
