Autumn Table + DIY Blooming Pumpkin the EASY Way

Create a blooming pumpkin as a centerpiece for your fall or Thanksgiving table the easy way~ no cutting required!

Happy Monday! I’m joining my blogging friends for some flower therapy and Monday Morning Blooms to celebrate autumn! You can find my friends’ links to their floral inspiration at the bottom of this post.

Our theme for this week’s edition of Monday Morning Blooms was pumpkins.

  Flowers and pumpkins are two of my favorite things and I love to combine the two for a seasonal centerpiece for a fall or Thanksgiving table!

I started with a Fairytale Pumpkin. Fairytale pumpkins are botanically classified as Cucurbita moschata and are a French heirloom variety of the Cucurbitaceae family. Also known as the Musqué De Provence squash, Fairytale pumpkins are prized for their excellent flavor, ornamental shape, and unique tan coloring.

Fairytale Pumpkins are deeply lobed with prominent ribbing and have a squat, flattened shape. This pumpkin’s stem was broken off when I bought it, but it makes ideal to create a ‘blooming’ pumpkin. You can also use any stemless pumpkin to create a ‘blooming’ pumpkin with this method.

I like to use a shortcut method to create a blooming pumpkin, eliminating the time-consuming step of hollowing out the pumpkin to make a vase for flowers. Cutting through the hard skin and flesh can be hazardous, so skipping this step saves time, prevents accidents, and extends the life of your pumpkin. This is a variation of that method, made even easier!

Start with a brick of wet floral foam. Cut your floral brick with a knife to the size you need for the top of your pumpkin (I used half a brick). Soak the floral foam in water mixed with floral preservative until it’s fully saturated. When your foam is saturated (about 5 minutes or less) use waterproof floral tape to secure the wet foam to a clear plastic plate.

I used a 7-inch clear Chinet plastic plate. The plates have a slight curve to them so they will catch any water that might drip from the floral foam. I also stacked two plates together before taping the foam to the plates to support the weight of the wet floral foam.

Tip: When using wet floral foam, use the “float soak” method and place the floral foam brick on top of the water. Let the floral foam gradually absorb the water until it’s fully saturated. Plunging the floral foam in the water traps air bubbles and will prohibit the transfer of water from the foam to the flower stems.

Tip: Place the plate with your arrangement on your pumpkin, checking periodically as you work, making sure you’re adding enough floral material so the edge of your plate is concealed.

I used a combination of carnations, mums and roses from the grocery store as well as some sprigs of foliage cut from the shrubs. . . abelia, lorepetalum and goldenrod, added as filler to the arrangement.

Top your pumpkin with your floral arrangement and voilà. . . a Blooming Pumpkin Centerpiece, without any cutting or extra work!

What I prefer about this method:

🍂 No cutting involved so your pumpkin will last longer

🍂  Easier to transport the flowers and pumpkin, separately

🍂 The floral top can be refrigerated to prolong the life of your flowers

🍂 You can add water to the arrangement if needed as the plastic plate will catch drips and excess water

 I set a table by the lake to enjoy some beautiful fall weather with my blooming pumpkin as a centerpiece. . .

A black April Cornell tablecloth with fruits and veggies provides a foundation for the table. . .

And Harvest Pumpkin Salad and Wreath Plates are served up on tree slice chargers.

Hammered flatware provides a warm copper accent and join Courtly Stripe Pumpkin Napkin Rings.

 Table Details:

  Harvest Pumpkin Plates / Williams-Somona, used here

Napkins / Pier 1 & Kohl’s

Courtly Stripe Pumpkin Napkin Rings / MacKenzie-Childs, several years ago

Tree Slice Chargers / Bed, Bath & Beyond, several years ago

Tablecloth / April Cornell

Flatware / Cambridge Silversmiths Jessamine Copper

 Goblets / Mikasa French Countryside

Visit my talented blogging friends to see their blooming pumpkins this week:

Pam at Everyday Living

Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse

Autumn is my favorite season and after a very long and hot summer in North Carolina, it looks like it’s finally here to stay. . .

There are two times of the year: Autumn and Waiting for Autumn. ;)

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 Between Naps on the Porch